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

A US federal judge ruled on Wednesday against a bid by the Justice Department to temporarily halt California from accepting mail-in ballots from individuals on a list of over 20,000 registered voters that the Trump administration claims are likely non-citizens. The decision came after a hearing in Los Angeles federal court where the Justice Department sought a restraining order to prevent officials from counting any ballots from the individuals flagged.

The department had filed the lawsuit on October 15, marking one of its few interventions in the voting process weeks before the midterms. California's officials have defended their safeguards against non-citizen voting, stating that the Justice Department's allegations are based on "suspect data" and that complying with the department's requests could risk disenfranchising eligible voters.

The state, with its 52 seats in the House of Representatives, is the most populous US state and a Democratic stronghold. President Donald Trump has targeted California as a key battleground in his immigration crackdown, alleging widespread non-citizen voting despite multiple studies and state audits suggesting it is rare. The hearing took place following a federal appeals court's denial of an emergency request by the Justice Department to block California from counting the ballots before the judge issued a ruling.

The department did not disclose how many of the flagged individuals had actually submitted mail ballots. In addition to California, the Trump administration has attempted to meddle in election processes in Alaska and Washington State, both of which have competitive races.