Washington stories

Oct 28, 2026

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from segregating California ballots of alleged noncitizens

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes rejected the Justice Department's emergency request to stop California from processing up to 20,000 ballots from people the administration claims are likely noncitizens, warning it would 'wreak havoc' on voting. The DOJ immediately appealed and issued grand jury subpoenas to California election officials.

Oct 28, 20266 sources

Top claims

▪Judge James Boasberg ruled, ordering the Trump administration to stop demanding that California officials segregate suspected noncitizen ballots
▪U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that forcing California to segregate ballots during an ongoing election would violate the National Voter Registration Act, which bans changes to voter rolls within 90 days of an election
▪U.S. District Judge David O. Carter stated in his October 28, 2026 ruling that the U.S. Constitution does not grant the executive branch authority to coerce state and local governments into abandoning their established election procedures

Topics

Trump administration Trump administration legal battles Judiciary 2026 U.S. midterm elections US midterm elections U.S. Supreme Court Election integrity U.S. voting rights Ballot administration Elections

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