The Department of Justice filed a petition seeking an intervention to prevent California election workers from processing around 20,000 specific mail-in ballots. Officials justified the action by suggesting that the voters in question may not possess American citizenship. This last-minute filing arrived just one day before Election Day after appellate judges declined to overturn an existing lower court injunction that allowed the ballots to be counted.
Key points
The administration is attempting to stop California from counting thousands of contested…: The administration is attempting to stop California from counting thousands of contested mail-in ballots.
Federal attorneys claim the individuals casting the challenged ballots might not be Unite…: Federal attorneys claim the individuals casting the challenged ballots might not be United States citizens.
A lower federal court injunction allowing the counting of these ballots currently remains…: A lower federal court injunction allowing the counting of these ballots currently remains intact.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
A voter drops his ballot in a secure ballot box during early voting at La Sierra Library on October 30, 2026 in Riverside, CA.
Gina Ferazzi | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to take its appeal in a case where it has unsuccessfully sought to block California from counting the mail-in ballots of about 20,000 voters whom the Department of Justice suggests may not be U.S. citizens.
The DOJ's petition to the Supreme Court came three days after the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the department's bid to block a lower federal court's injunction, which allowed the ballots to be counted.
The petition comes a day before Election Day.
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