The Supreme Court unanimously rejected a Justice Department request to intervene in California's election procedures. The DOJ had asked the court to order California to set aside ballots cast by approximately 20,000 voters whom the Trump administration claimed were likely noncitizens.
The DOJ filed its application hours before the midterm election vote count began. The application stated that the Executive Branch had identified over 20,000 individuals registered to vote in California who, based on the administration's review, appeared likely not to be U.S. citizens.
The Supreme Court provided no explanation for its denial. The order came after a federal judge in California ruled that the lawsuit likely violated civil rights laws and improperly involved the federal government in state election procedures. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit also rejected an appeal of that ruling on Friday.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit last month after California state officials refused to accept a flash drive the administration said contained names of purported noncitizens. State officials argued there was no federal role in state elections and no evidence the voters had actually cast ballots or were not citizens.
This effort was part of a broader push by the Trump administration to assert greater federal authority over state election processes. The administration also sent a similar letter to Washington state officials and filed a lawsuit seeking to delay certification of the Alaska Senate contest over two similarly named candidates on the ballot.