US cries foul, then folds in California ballot fight

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initially sought to halt California from counting approximately 20,000 ballots it claimed were from noncitizens. However, the DOJ recently filed a motion to dismiss its own lawsuit, citing irreparable commingling of ballots with lawful ones by the time of the scheduled hearing. This move came after a series of midterm election losses by Republicans and a week before a hearing where a special master was meant to evaluate the accuracy of the list.

California officials had previously stated the list was outdated and included legitimate voters, a sentiment echoed by the presiding federal judge in his scathing order denying the DOJ's request. The case was part of President Donald Trump's administration's push to exert control over state-run elections nationwide, an assertion backed by no evidence.

The DOJ is currently embroiled in legal battles with immigrant and voting rights groups seeking to restrict its use of the list of suspected noncitizens. Another controversial lawsuit filed in Alaska to block a Democrat's Senate race victory was dismissed by a federal judge, though the administration is appealing the ruling.