Judge Rejects DOJ Bid to Block California Ballots Over Citizenship Concerns

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (OPA) — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected an attempt by the Department of Justice to block California election officials from counting more than 20,000 mail-in ballots. The government had argued that the voters in question might not be U.S. citizens, seeking to set aside the ballots before they could be processed in the current election cycle.

In a sharp rebuke of the federal petition, the presiding judge stated that granting the request would wreak havoc on the state’s electoral integrity. The court emphasized that the administrative burden and the potential disenfranchisement of legal voters outweighed the government's unsubstantiated claims regarding the citizenship status of the individuals involved.

President Donald Trump’s administration had pushed for the injunction as part of a broader effort to tighten oversight of state-run election procedures. The DOJ had alleged that the identified voters were flagged through database cross-referencing, though state officials in California maintained that their verification processes were robust and compliant with federal law.

Legal experts suggest the ruling reinforces the authority of state governments to manage their own election administration. While the DOJ may appeal the decision, the ballots are expected to remain in the count as the state continues its standard certification process.