The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a last-minute emergency request from the Trump administration to force California election officials to set aside more than 20,000 mail-in ballots.
Filed on Monday by Solicitor General D. John Sauer just one day before the midterm elections, the Department of Justice appeal urged the high court to segregate the ballots over claims they may have been cast by noncitizens. The administration argued that failing to separate the disputed ballots before they were commingled with lawful ones would prevent future legal remedies if the challenge proceeded on its merits.
The Supreme Court's refusal to intervene follows rejections from lower courts last week. A lower court judge had previously labeled the federal demand as brazen pre-election interference. With the high court's denial, California's voting procedures and processing schedules remain undisturbed as polls close and the state moves toward its December certification deadline.
