US Supreme Court Rejects Trump Administration's Bid to Restrict California Ballot Counting

November 3, 2026 | By Semahegn Nigatu

The US Supreme Court has rejected an emergency request by President Donald Trump's administration to require California to set aside mail-in ballots from approximately 20,000 people whose citizenship status was questioned by federal authorities, delivering another legal setback to the administration on the eve of the midterm elections.

The court denied the Justice Department's application on November 2 in an unsigned order, without any noted dissents. The decision came hours after the federal government approached the court seeking to prevent California election officials from counting the disputed ballots until the voters' citizenship status could be verified.

The dispute centres on a list of approximately 20,000 individuals whom the federal government identified as potentially ineligible to vote because they were believed to be non-US citizens. California officials challenged the accuracy of the list, arguing that it included people who were citizens or did not have active voter registrations.

The Justice Department sought an emergency order requiring election officials to segregate ballots associated with the individuals, arguing that they could no longer be identified once mixed with other ballots during processing.

The Supreme Court's rejection followed several earlier rulings against the administration's efforts in lower courts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had previously declined to grant emergency relief, while a federal district court rejected the government's request for a temporary restraining order.

California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, saying the administration's attempts to challenge the state's election procedures had been rejected at multiple judicial levels.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said the ruling marked the fourth legal victory for California in the dispute, adding that the state would continue to defend its election administration against federal challenges.

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said the decision would allow millions of residents to concentrate on casting their ballots ahead of Election Day on November 3.

The dispute has become part of a wider conflict between the Trump administration and state authorities over the federal government's role in election administration.

Newsom's administration said it had invested nearly 40 million US dollars in additional election staff and technology to accelerate ballot counting and strengthen election security across California's counties. The state has also introduced new criminal penalties for attempted election interference.

Source: FSX Business News