The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a last-minute request from the Trump administration to force California to set aside mail ballots from 20,000 people whom the administration alleges are not U.S. citizens, on the eve of Tuesday's midterm elections.

The dispute began in mid-October, when the Trump administration sent a letter to California's secretary of state and Los Angeles County election officials demanding that 20,000 ballots it said were cast by possible noncitizens be set aside. California officials refused, disputing the administration's assertion that about 20,000 noncitizens may be registered to vote in the state. The administration, for its part, contends that federal law bars noncitizens from voting and has described its request as a 'modest remedy' that would set ballots aside only until the allegations could be resolved. The administration, for its part, has said that federal law prohibits voting by noncitizens and that it has grounds to intervene. The Justice Department then sued, asking a federal court to order compliance.

The Trump administration appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled 2-1 against it on Friday. On Monday, the administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene, one day before the midterm elections.

The Supreme Court acted quickly. The court ruled in a one-line, unsigned order that denied the Justice Department's request for an injunction. It did not ask California election officials to respond before ruling, and there were no noted dissents.

The case was part of a broader pattern. California and Los Angeles County officials have questioned the accuracy of the administration's list, a concern the district judge echoed in his ruling.

The denial means California may keep counting the ballots that the administration had asked be set aside. For voters in California, the outcome meant that ballots already cast would be processed and counted under the state's normal procedures, without the separation the administration had sought.

References

1. 1.Washington Post — reported the Trump administration's Supreme Court filing seeking to set aside 20,000 California ballots and the subsequent denial
2. 2.CBS News — reported the Supreme Court's one-line unsigned order denying the Justice Department's injunction request
3. 3.The Hill — reported details of the Supreme Court appeal, including Solicitor General John Sauer's filing and the emergency docket assignment
4. 4.NBC News — reported the Supreme Court's quick rejection and the Nevada case in which over 100 alleged noncitizens were confirmed citizens
5. 5.Washington Post (Oct. 28) — reported Judge David O. Carter's ruling citing constitutional principles in denying the initial DOJ request
6. 6.Axios — reported the timeline of the California lawsuit filed in mid-October and judicial rejections of the administration's noncitizen voter claims
7. 7.The Hill (https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6190525-supreme-court-trump-administration-california-ballots/) reports that the Supreme Court on Monday rejected the administration's effort to force California to set aside 20,000 ballots. CBS News (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-rejects-trump-california-mail-ballots-alleged-noncitizens/) reports a one-line unsigned order denying the Justice Department's injunction request.
8. 8.The Hill (https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6190525-supreme-court-trump-administration-california-ballots/) carries the headline 'Supreme Court rejects Trump administration's bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots' and reports the Supreme Court rejected the request on Monday. KTLA and CBS News report the same outcome.