Judge rejects Trump bid to pause 20,000 California mail-in ballots

A federal judge in California denied the Trump administration's request to withhold 20,000 mail-in ballots on Wednesday. The administration argued that these specific voters were likely non-citizens, though it provided no definitive proof of their status.

The lawsuit sought to pause the counting process for those specific ballots. California election officials stated that identifying the 20,000 ballots is nearly impossible. This is because early voting is already underway, and officials have processed 500,000 ballots this week.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter wrote that the request would disrupt the election that is already underway. He noted that the move would create a chilling effect on election workers and voters. Carter also said the request would discount the votes of United States citizens.

"Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable," Carter wrote in his ruling. "Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred."

The judge added that if the executive branch can discount votes based on unproven allegations, the democracy is in danger. Carter said the court declined to be a party to such a process.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli defended the lawsuit on social media after the ruling. "Every day, more ballots are processed by election officials," Essayli wrote. "This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution."

The Trump administration has filed several lawsuits in recent weeks across multiple states. These cases allege voter fraud. Earlier this week, the Department of Justice asked Washington state to withhold 400 ballots. The agency cited concerns about non-citizen voting in that state as well.

The DOJ also filed a lawsuit against Alaska. That suit aims to prevent the vote from being certified if the Republican candidate does not win. The administration has stated it will appeal Carter's ruling in California.

An appeals court previously declined to rule on the California case. That court said it would wait for the district judge to issue a final decision. The appeals court appeared skeptical of the administration's arguments even before the district court ruling was finalized.