Federal Judge Denies Request to Block Ballot Counting in California

On Wednesday, a federal judge in Los Angeles rejected a request from the Trump administration to prevent California election officials from counting ballots of 20,000 voters whose citizenship was under scrutiny. The ruling came from U.S. District Judge David O. Carter and criticized the administration’s claims as ‘not credible.’ Judge Carter emphasized that the requested intervention would breach federal laws, disrupt the midterm election process, potentially disenfranchise legitimate voters, and pave the way for political interference in future elections.

Judge Carter stated, ‘This request violates longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections.’ He added that granting the Trump administration’s request would allow any party to create chaos for political gain and disrupt the election process.

Carter, appointed by President Clinton, noted that the federal government has never before attempted to coerce state and local governments to abandon their constitutional election procedures on the eve of an election. He accused the administration of asking the court to accept its dominance as a sole sovereign, overlooking California’s sovereignty and that of its citizens.

This week’s ruling marks the second denial of the Trump administration’s request for a temporary restraining order against California and Los Angeles County. Earlier, a three-judge panel from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected an emergency request from the administration.

Carter issued his ruling after a lengthy 3½-hour hearing on Tuesday, where numerous attorneys representing the state, county, and independent voting rights groups opposed the administration’s demands. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, representing the Trump administration, did not comment on the ruling immediately. However, after Tuesday’s hearing, he hinted that the administration might appeal the decision if the flagged ballots were not counted.

This story is ongoing and will receive further updates.