Appeals Court Denies Federal Bid to Segregate California Ballots

A federal appeals court has issued a 2-1 ruling denying the Trump administration's attempt to force California election officials to isolate approximately 20,000 mail-in ballots. The Justice Department had sought to set these ballots aside, citing concerns that they may have been cast by noncitizens. This decision marks the second time in less than a week that the court has declined to intervene in the state's election procedures.

The majority opinion, authored by Judge Mark J. Bennett, emphasized that there is no practical or reliable method to identify and segregate specific ballots without causing significant disruption to the entire electoral system. The court noted that because many ballots have already been processed and anonymized, it is technically impossible to match them back to individual voters.

California officials have consistently challenged the accuracy of the federal government's list of alleged noncitizen voters, warning that it likely includes many eligible U.S. citizens. The ruling effectively upholds a lower court's previous decision to deny the government's request, leaving the state's current ballot processing protocols intact just days before the November 3 midterm elections.

This legal clash is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to exert greater federal oversight over state-run election processes. While the majority of the panel sided against the Justice Department, Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented, arguing that federal law strictly prohibits noncitizen voting and that the state should be required to verify the citizenship status of those flagged by the government.

As the election approaches, the ruling serves as a significant hurdle for the administration's ongoing litigation regarding voter eligibility. With hundreds of thousands of votes already moving through the system, the court's decision ensures that the current counting process will continue without the requested federal interference.