Supreme Court Denies Last‑Minute Bid to Segregate California Ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court refused a last‑minute application from the Department of Justice seeking to order California to set aside 20,000 mail‑in ballots it alleged may have been cast by non‑citizens, leaving intact prior rulings by lower courts and effectively ending the administration’s effort on the eve of the midterm elections.

The one‑line order stated that the application for an injunction pending appeal presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied. Two lower courts had previously rejected the request and a federal appeals court declined the government’s request to segregate the ballots.

California election officials had challenged the Justice Department’s list of names, saying the method used to identify alleged non‑citizen registrants contained inaccuracies and that segregating ballots while voting was underway was unfeasible. The officials warned that eligible voters could be disenfranchised if the requested action were forced.

The Justice Department had sent letters to the California Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar demanding sequestration of ballots for about 20,000 registered voters the department believed were likely non‑citizens, and Department of Homeland Security officials delivered letters to county officials warning of possible criminal charges if the ballots were not sequestered.

In a 22‑page brief reviewed by the BBC, the Justice Department argued that ballots cast by non‑citizens could debase or dilute valid votes. California, the most populous U.S. state with some 23 million registered voters, had already received more than six million mail‑in ballots as of Sunday night according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

District Judge David Carter previously criticized the federal move, writing that never before had the federal government on the eve of an election sought to coerce state and local authorities to abandon their constitutional election procedures and yield to the executive branch, and characterizing the effort as part of an ongoing pattern of attempted election interference.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The Supreme Court’s denial preserves the decisions of lower courts and removes a pathway for the federal government to segregate the contested ballots, maintaining California’s established ballot processing during the midterm period. The dispute highlights tensions between federal election enforcement claims and state election administration, as well as concerns about the accuracy of federal data used to identify allegedly ineligible voters.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• The Supreme Court denied the Justice Department’s request to segregate roughly 20,000 California ballots.
• Lower courts had already rejected the government’s application and a federal appeals court declined the request.
• California officials challenged the accuracy of the government’s list and warned of disenfranchisement and logistical impossibility.
• The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security sent letters and notices to state and county officials seeking sequestration and warning of potential charges.
• District Judge David Carter described the federal action as an unprecedented attempt to coerce state and local election processes.