US Supreme Court refuses Trump administration bid to make California set aside 20,000 ballots

The US Supreme Court on Monday 2 November turned down the Trump administration's last-minute request to force California to separate mail ballots cast by people on a federal list of alleged noncitizens. This report draws on CBS News, NBC News and NPR. ## The order In a one-line, unsigned order with no noted dissents, the court denied the Justice Department's request for an injunction requiring California officials to set aside ballots from 20,000 alleged noncitizens, CBS News reports. The department had filed only hours earlier, and the court ruled without first asking California for its views, NBC News and CBS News report. Election Day is Tuesday. ## The lower courts District Judge David Carter and a divided 9th Circuit panel had already refused the request. "[T]here is a material risk that granting the United States its requested relief would result in disenfranchisement and could jeopardize the County's entire election," 9th Circuit Judges Mark Bennett and Gabriel Sanchez wrote, NPR reports; Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented. State and Los Angeles County officials have questioned the list's accuracy, and an analysis by the University of California Los Angeles' Voting Rights Project found that 42% of the names on it do not appear on California's current voter roll, NPR reports. ## Reaction "This latest decision should put an end to the administration's attempt to disrupt California's elections through emergency court orders," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, NBC News reports. The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to NBC News's requests for comment. Confirmed cases of noncitizen voting are rare, CBS News reports.