{
  "id": 16993984,
  "title": "US court rejects initial bid to block alleged non-citizen voting in California",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/us-court-rejects-initial-bid-to-block-alleged-non-citizen-voting-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T01:32:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/29/us-court-rejects-initial-bid-to-block-alleged-non-citizen-voting-in-california"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The US Justice Department alleges that more than 20,000 non citizens are registered to vote in California.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Judge rebuffs Trump DoJ’s bid to force California to set aside 20,000 ballots",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/judge-rebuffs-trump-dojs-bid-to-force-california-to-set-aside-20-000",
        "published": "2026-10-29T00:48:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Judge rejects DOJ's push to force California to set aside ballots",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/judge-rejects-dojs-push-to-force-california-to-set-aside-ballots",
        "published": "2026-10-29T00:59:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "DOJ's California ballot fight rejected by another judge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/dojs-california-ballot-fight-rejected-by-another-judge",
        "published": "2026-10-29T00:59:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News (US)",
        "title": "Judge rejects Trump admin request for order to segregate 20,000 Calif. ballots",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/judge-rejects-trump-admin-request-for-order-to-segregate-20-000-calif",
        "published": "2026-10-29T01:06:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "US judge rejects Trump admin interference in California midterm vote",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/us-judge-rejects-trump-admin-interference-in-california-midterm-vote",
        "published": "2026-10-29T03:15:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "Judge rejects US Justice Dept bid to block votes from alleged noncitizens in California",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/judge-rejects-us-justice-dept-bid-to-block-votes-from-alleged",
        "published": "2026-10-29T03:46:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}