By — Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/appeals-court-rejects-justice-department-request-for-california-to-set-aside-disputed-ballots Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Appeals court rejects Justice Department request for California to set aside disputed ballots Politics Oct 30, 2026 4:56 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Justice Department's request for California to set aside disputed ballots received in the midterm election. The 2-1 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel is the latest setback for the Trump administration's efforts to assert control over state-run elections. The administration has alleged California sent ballots to some 20,000 people who may not be U.S. citizens. It wants the state to set those ballots aside and not count them until citizenship can be verified. California officials say the list is highly unreliable and most likely includes many people who are U.S. citizens. A district court judge forcefully denied that request on Wednesday and warned that the Justice Department's demands could disenfranchise citizens. READ MORE: Judge denies federal…
Appeals court rejects Justice Department request for California to set aside disputed ballots
In short
A 2-1 panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision blocking the Trump administration's attempt to isolate approximately 20,000 ballots. California authorities proved that hundreds of thousands of cast ballots were already processed and anonymized, rendering retroactive tracking impossible. The Justice Department now plans to escalate the voting dispute directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Key points
- Disconnecting submitted ballots from voter rolls makes segregating specific contested vot…: Disconnecting submitted ballots from voter rolls makes segregating specific contested votes logistically impossible.
- Voting rights advocacy groups will review the federal government's list of roughly 20,000…: Voting rights advocacy groups will review the federal government's list of roughly 20,000 challenged individuals.
- The Justice Department intends to seek an emergency appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.: The Justice Department intends to seek an emergency appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.