Federal Judge Rejects Trump Administration’s Bid to Block California Votes
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Los Angeles denied an attempt by the Trump administration to immediately stop California election officials from counting the ballots of 20,000 voters. These voters’ citizenship was questioned by the administration. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the claims were ‘not credible’ and that the requested intervention would violate multiple federal laws.
Judge Carter emphasized that the request could cause chaos in the ongoing midterm election. Such intervention might lead to the disenfranchisement of legitimate voters and could encourage future political interference in elections. ‘This request violates longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections,’ Carter stated. Granting the request could allow either political party to disrupt the election process for their gain.
Carter, appointed by President Clinton, highlighted that this was an unprecedented action by the federal government. Never before had it tried to compel a state to abandon its own Constitutional election procedures right before an election. The administration’s suit led the court to question whether it viewed itself as the sole sovereign, contrary to the principles of state sovereignty.
“But California and its people are sovereign, too,” Carter wrote.
This ruling marks the second time in a week that the Trump administration was denied a temporary restraining order against the state and Los Angeles County. Earlier, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also turned down an emergency request from the government.
The decision followed a 3½-hour hearing on Tuesday. During this hearing, numerous attorneys representing the state, county, and independent voting rights groups opposed the administration’s demands.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in L.A., argued on behalf of the Trump administration at the hearing. He has not yet commented on the ruling. However, after the hearing, he hinted that the administration might appeal Judge Carter’s decision if the counting of the disputed ballots was not stopped.
This story is developing and will be updated as new information becomes available.