Ninth Circuit questions Trump DOJ's emergency request to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots
A Ninth Circuit panel grilled Justice Department lawyers over forcing California to set aside mail-in ballots tied to suspected noncitizens.
TL;DR
- A federal appeals court heard arguments on the Trump administration's emergency request to isolate mail-in ballots in California suspected of being tied to noncitizens.
- The three-judge panel questioned the legal basis and jurisdictional authority for the Justice Department's intervention.
- The administration argued that hundreds of thousands of ballots could be processed daily while the dispute is unresolved, emphasizing urgency.
- California argued against federal interference, stating the federal government has no power to intervene in state election administration rules.
- The court is expected to issue a ruling as quickly as possible.