Federal judge rejects DOJ request to isolate 20000 California ballots

A federal judge on Wednesday denied an emergency request by the Justice Department to force California election officials to segregate 20,000 mail-in ballots from alleged noncitizens, according to reports from the Washington Examiner and NBC News. The decision comes less than a week before the midterm elections. [1][2][4]

The Guardian and the Washington Examiner both reported that United States District Judge David Carter rejected the bid to hold or segregate the ballots until citizenship could be checked. The Guardian noted that Judge Carter was nominated to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton, while NBC News reported the judge stated the request violates constitutional principles regarding state control over elections. [1][2][4]

NBC News reported that the Justice Department claimed to have identified over 20,000 likely noncitizens. California officials stated the claims were unsupported by evidence and accused the federal government of attempting to interfere in the election. [4]

The ruling follows earlier legal actions in the case. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the Justice Department had previously appealed to the 9th United States Circuit Court of Appeals after filing suit regarding the targeted mail-in ballots, but the federal appeals court rejected the emergency request. [12][13]

Following the district court ruling on Wednesday, a Justice Department official vowed to appeal the decision, according to Fox News. [6]