US Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Request on California Mail-In Ballots
The justices turned down the emergency plea within hours, so California can count every ballot as voters head to the polls in the midterms.
US – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request to stop California from counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 voters. The decision came on Monday, just one day before the midterm elections.
The justices acted within hours of receiving the emergency plea from the Justice Department. The order was only one sentence long, and it gave no reason.
No justice publicly disagreed. The court also did not ask California to reply first, which is often a sign that judges are taking a case seriously.
The administration claimed the voters are likely not US citizens. It wanted California to keep those ballots apart and leave them uncounted until each voter was proven eligible.
Government lawyers warned that once the ballots are mixed with others, they cannot be pulled back out. California argued that its safeguards against illegal voting are strong.
The state also said the federal list is full of mistakes. It warned that thousands of real voters could lose their voice because of vague claims.
California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the news. He said people in the state can trust that Tuesday’s election will be free and fair.
A federal appeals court had already refused the same request on Friday. Before that, Judge David Carter in Los Angeles said no on October 28.
Judge Carter noted that some people flagged by federal officials in other states turned out to be citizens. He warned that counting votes out on unproven claims would put democracy in danger.
The case is unusual, because states, not the federal government, run elections. Studies and state audits also show that illegal voting by noncitizens is very rare.
The ruling adds to a run of court setbacks for the administration. In September, the Supreme Court also turned away an effort to limit voting by mail.
On Sunday, a federal judge threw out another government lawsuit over the Senate race in Alaska.
California holds 52 House seats, the most of any state. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the House.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the administration will keep looking for legal ways to enforce federal election law.
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