Supreme Court Deals Blow to Trump Administration, Rejects Key Plea

The Trump administration has suffered a setback at the US Supreme Court ahead of the country’s midterm elections. The court rejected the Justice Department’s request to direct California election officials to set aside around 20,000 ballots linked to individuals suspected of being non-US citizens and prevent them from being counted until their citizenship status was verified. The administration alleged that these individuals might not be eligible to vote. However, lower courts had already declined to grant the requested relief.

California election officials challenged the accuracy of the federal government’s list, warning that it could include eligible US citizens and potentially deprive them of their voting rights. Courts also raised concerns that separating the ballots while the election process was already underway could disrupt vote counting. The Supreme Court’s decision marks another legal setback for the Trump administration’s effort to intervene in California’s handling of the disputed ballots.