Trump admin asks top court to set aside 20,000 California ballots

Washington — The Trump administration petitioned the United States Supreme Court on Monday to compel California to set aside ballots from over 20,000 individuals it asserts may not be American citizens. This maneuver, occurring a day before pivotal midterm elections, follows prior rejections by lower courts and again on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Judge William H. fully dismissed the DOJ's demand as a brazen pre-election interference. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in an urgent brief to the Supreme Court that once California mixes the disputed ballots with legitimate ones, there is no means to retrieve the disputed ballots. The sole method to maintain the district court's capacity to grant relief to the United States following a comprehensive merits proceeding is to isolate the disputed ballots immediately, according to Sauer.

This California ballot case seems to be another effort by the administration to cast doubt on the outcomes of Tuesday's vote, in which President Donald Trump's Republican Party faces the potential loss of control over Congress. Trump, who has never confirmed his own election victory, continues to allege widespread voter fraud.