Judge says Trump's bid to set aside California ballots would ‘wreak havoc’ on democracy
A U.S. judge rejected the DOJ’s bid to block California from counting mail ballots from over 20,000 voters it alleges may be noncitizens.
TL;DR
- A U.S. judge rejected the Justice Department's request to stop California from counting mail ballots from over 20,000 voters suspected of being noncitizens.
- U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled that the Justice Department's request was an unprecedented intervention that would 'wreak havoc' on democratic principles and voting rights.
- The judge emphasized that states have control over their elections and that the federal government's actions risked disenfranchising eligible voters and eroding trust in democracy.
- The Justice Department has appealed the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the ongoing processing of ballots dilutes the votes of American citizens.
- California officials stated that their safeguards against noncitizen voting are robust and that the Justice Department's data was suspect, potentially leading to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
- The Trump administration has also sought to intervene in elections in Alaska and Washington state.