US court rejects initial bid to block alleged non-citizen voting in California

A US judge on Wednesday rejected a request from the Justice Department to temporarily block California from counting mail ballots received from individuals on a list of over 20,000 registered voters, who the Trump administration claims are likely noncitizens. The decision comes after a hearing in Los Angeles federal court and marks another setback for President Donald Trump's efforts to increase the federal government's involvement in elections ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit on October 15, intervening in the voting process weeks before the election. California's officials argued that the state's safeguards against noncitizen voting are strong and that complying with the Justice Department's demands would risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The state, with 52 seats in the House of Representatives, is a Democratic stronghold and the most populous US state.

The Trump administration has frequently criticized California and other states for not doing enough to prevent noncitizens from voting, despite studies and audits showing it is rare.