Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to block 20,000 California midterm ballots
Hours before Election Day, the justices unanimously denied a DOJ emergency request to set aside mail ballots the administration called likely noncitizen votes.
Part of a larger narrative
Trump Administration Election Challenges
- UCLA analysis finds 42% of DOJ's noncitizen voter list doesn't match California rolls
- Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to block 20,000 California midterm ballotsyou are here
- Trump DOJ issues grand jury subpoenas to California election officials
- Supreme Court declines to revive Biden-era deportation-pause rule
- Appeals Court Revives Trump DOJ's Power to Pressure Election Officials Before Midterms
What to know
- The Supreme Court denied the DOJ's emergency application within hours, without explanation and with no noted dissents, hours before midterm voting concluded.
- The ruling was the Trump administration's third defeat this fall in attempts to intervene in state-run elections, following rejections on mail voting restrictions and the Missouri gerrymander.
- Independent data scientists found the DOJ's list of ~21,000 alleged noncitizen voters was missing key identifying data and included citizens and unregistered people.
- A related DOJ effort targeting roughly 400 Washington state voters was also being challenged in court as the decision came down.
The dispute Whether the ruling reflects genuine judicial independence protecting voters, or a calculated move by the Court's conservative justices with an unstated future motive. · positions read across 94 posts and comments
This is a clear, welcome defeat for Trump's attempt to interfere with the election.
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“BREAKING: The Supreme Court just dealt Trump a major election-eve defeat, swiftly rejecting his regime's attempt to force California to set aside ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens. The justices didn't even ask California to respond. No…”
meidastouch.com · Bluesky ↗
The courts are properly doing their job protecting voters from political power grabs.
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“good, the courts are supposed to protect voters from political power grabs, not help make them happen”
BirthdayTiny3568 · Reddit ↗
Skeptical that the ruling reflects anything other than a strategic long game by conservative justices.
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“Preventing Trump from interfering with state elections with zero evidence is just a front they're putting up so that Democrats don't have precedent on their side when... they try to interfere with state elections with zero evidence?”
Phillies2002 · Reddit ↗
Donald Trump PresidentTrent McCotter Acting Deputy Attorney General
Marc Elias Elias Law Group chair, Democracy Docket founderJames Boasberg US District JudgeElena Kagan Supreme Court Justice
How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideospostscomments
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US midterm elections proceed amid California ballot ruling
Voting concluded nationwide on Nov. 3 with the race widely cast as a referendum on Trump's second term, hours after the Supreme Court's rejection of the California challenge removed a last-minute threat to the state's vote count.
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first by Yahoo, 5d ago · also AllAfrica, Yahoo News Canada, France 24 EN, France 24, BBC
5 more headlines
- Kenya: Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Request to Stop California Counting Disputed Votes AllAfrica · 5d ago
- Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Block California Ballot Count Yahoo · 5d ago
- US Supreme court rejects Trump request to set aside 20,000 California ballots France 24 EN · 5d ago
- US Votes in Midterm Elections Seen as Referendum on Trump's Second Term, as Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Set Aside California Ballots Political.org · 5d ago
- Supreme Court rejects Trump's request to stop California counting disputed votes Mastodon · 4d ago
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first by Daily Wire, 5d ago · also The Daily Wire
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For a few hours DOJ won a case in the 9th Circuit. Then the full court vacated it.
2 more of the top 3 · 8 posts in this stretch
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The Supreme Court rejects a DOJ push to separate California ballots https://www. npr.org/2026/11/02/nx-s1-60238 02/supreme-court-california-voting-ballots-trump?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Top Stories in News @ top-stories-in-news-thenewsdesk
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good, the courts are supposed to protect voters from political power grabs, not help make them happen
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Decision marks third Trump election-interference defeat this fall
Democracy Docket noted the ruling followed earlier Supreme Court rejections of Trump's bid to restrict mail voting and of Missouri's Trump-backed congressional gerrymander, while DOJ vowed to keep pursuing the matter.
“California has refused to work with the Federal Government to protect against noncitizen voting, which dilutes lawful votes. We will continue pursuing every available legal avenue to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure federal law is enforced.”
— Trent McCotter, Acting Deputy Attorney General -
The Supreme Court swiftly rejected the Trump administration’s emergency bid to force California to segregate ballots from more than 20,000 people it alleges may be noncitizens.
2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
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Preventing Trump from interfering with state elections with zero evidence is just a front they're putting up so that Democrats don't have precedent on their side when... they try to interfere with state elections with zero evidence? And at that time, Alito + Thomas + Kavanaugh will... flip flop, revealing their true motives of... helping the…
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The administration excels at many things, none of them positive. They’re exceptionally good at bad faith acts. They tried to slip this into the election at the last second despite having months to act, and bypass the lower courts in the process. # USPol # Elections https:// apnews.com/article/midterm-ele…
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Voting-rights voices and commentators celebrate the ruling
Legal commentators and election-watchers framed the decision as a swift, decisive rebuke of the administration's attempt to interfere with California's vote count on the eve of the midterms.
“They tried to shelve your ballot. The Court said count it. Vote tomorrow!”
— @therealjackhopkins.bsky.social -
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BREAKING: The Supreme Court just dealt Trump a major election-eve defeat, swiftly rejecting his regime's attempt to force California to set aside ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens. The justices didn't even ask California to respond. No dissents.
2 more of the top 3 · 33 posts in this stretch
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SCOTUS has quickly rejected the Trump administration’s request requiring California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots. https://www. supremecourt.gov/orders/courto rders/110226zr_3eb4.pdf
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Yayyyyy!!! The Supreme Court tonight swiftly rejected the Trump administration’s request to force California to set aside up to 20,000 mail-in ballots over allegations that they could be submitted by noncitizens.
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Supreme Court denies DOJ's emergency ballot request
The justices rejected the DOJ's application within hours of its filing, without explanation and with no noted dissents, letting California continue counting the disputed mail ballots.
“The Supreme Court IMMEDIATELY DENIES the Trump DOJ's request to set aside 20,000 ballots in California without explanation hours after it was filed. There were no noted dissents.”
— klasfeldreports.com -
The Supreme Court quickly shut down President Donald Trump's effort to force California to sideline potentially thousands of ballots that the Justice Department claims may have been cast by noncitizens, rejecting the administration's emergency request hours after it was filed.
2 more of the top 3 · 18 posts in this stretch
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Reuters: US SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA FROM COUNTING BALLOTS CAST BY VOTERS WHO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ALLEGES ARE LIKELY NONCITIZENS
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The Supreme Court declines to let Trump interfere in the election in California.
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Groups sue to stop similar pressure on Washington state voters
Pro-voting groups asked a federal court to immediately block the administration from pressuring Washington election officials to set aside ballots from more than 400 voters it alleges may be noncitizens.
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They always seem to run straight to the Supreme Court. Now the Trump administration is asking the justices to intervene in its effort to force California election workers to set aside mail ballots from thousands of people it claims are not U.S. citizens.
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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Here we go: Trump regime’s latest effort to get its election interference ok’d by the Roberts Court. The regime seeks to have the Court require California to “segregate” mail ballots cast by those the regime has identified as “likely noncitizens”. This would require the Court to stay a federal district order against such segregation, an order…
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BREAKING: Pro-voting groups asked a federal court to immediately block the Trump administration from pressuring Washington election officials to set aside the ballots of 400+ voters it alleges may be noncitizens. The request comes one day before Election Day.
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DOJ asks Supreme Court to block California ballot count
After the 9th Circuit rejected its request twice, the Trump administration's Department of Justice filed an emergency application asking the Supreme Court to order California to set aside ballots from about 20,000 voters it claims are "likely" noncitizens.
“One day before Election Day, Trump’s DOJ asked the Supreme Court to block California from counting the ballots of 20,000 voters the administration claims are “likely” noncitizens.”
— Democracy Docket -
25 outlets first by Financial Times, 5d ago · also CTV News, Associated Press, Boston Globe, HuffPost, Denver Post, Mercury News +18 · read ↗
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23 outlets first by CBS News, 6d ago · also Straight Arrow, MS NOW, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, The Washington Sun +16 · read ↗
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🚨BREAKING: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and block California from counting ballots from 20,000 potential voters that the Trump administration claims are “likely” noncitizens.
2 more of the top 3 · 20 posts in this stretch
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday in its push to sideline thousands of disputed California mail ballots the day before the pivotal midterm elections. Another big test for the Roberts court. Hope it doesn't capitulate again. https:// apnews.com/article/midterm-ele…
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Reuters: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS US SUPREME COURT TO INTERVENE IN ITS LAWSUIT SEEKING TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA FROM COUNTING CERTAIN MAIL-IN BALLOTS
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- 1 day quiet
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Data scientists find errors in DOJ's noncitizen voter list
Analysts working with an immigrants' rights group found the government's list of roughly 21,000 alleged noncitizen voters was missing the state voter ID number, contained mismatched dates, and included U.S. citizens and unregistered people.
What people are saying 9 voices from 2 sites · best of 94 · verbatim
- Will the DOJ's parallel effort to challenge roughly 400 Washington state voters succeed where the California case failed?
- Will the Trump administration pursue further legal avenues against California after this third defeat?
- Nov 3
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"Over the weekend, data scientists at University of California Los Angeles' Voting Rights Project were granted access to the DOJ's list through a court order in another lawsuit and found that 42% of the names on the list do not appear on California's current voter roll. That analysis also found naturalized citizens on the DOJ's list." https://www…
- Nov 2
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Oh hell yes! 20,000 California voters. One list a judge called rife with errors. Trump ran it to the Supreme Court the day before the election…and got a one-line NO. Not one dissent. They tried to shelve your ballot. The Court said count it. Vote tomorrow!
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Although this is good news, my sense is that ICE/CBP agents are now moving to voting places and county counting/canvassing centers in places where the races are expected to be close. (Remember, el cheato and klan may only need to defer the results of maybe 25 D winners in order to retain control of the House, at least temporarily.) One might…
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BREAKING NEWS: In a humiliating loss for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court has denied its attempt to interfere with California’s elections. DOJ has lost it's attempt to force California to set aside about 20,000 ballots from voters it claims are noncitizens.
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One of many losses for the Trump Administrstion today. In a pre-election day flurry of cases in courts, appeals circuits, and the Supreme Court. Supreme Court swiftly rejects Trump administration bid to block California voters - Democracy Docket https://www. democracydocket.com/news-alert…
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Occasionally, the Roberts court makes the right decision. "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push for California to set aside thousands of mail ballots from people President Trump’s administration claims are noncitizens, a decision that comes on the eve of the pivotal midterm elections." https:// apnews.com/live/midterm-electi…
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RE: https:// mastodon.social/@heidilifeldma n/117548706758621423 Good news. The Roberts court has already denied the Trump regime’s motion. https://www. supremecourt.gov/orders/courto rders/110226zr_3eb4.pdf 1/ # LawFedi
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BREAKING: SCOTUS rejected the Trump administration's request to allow it to disenfranchise 20k Californians it alleges are noncitizens. The justices rejected the request in just hours, marking one of the most significant defeats in Trump's attempts to interfere with state-run elections.
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Sure they did. We knew they would. # PsychoInChief has got to be bouncing off the walls with rage! And “hate”! How the Supreme Court ‘conservatives’ rule will be another huge kleptofascist indicator. Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court in push to sideline 20,000 California mail ballots https:// apnews.com/article/midterm-ele…