The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an emergency bid by the Trump administration seeking to block more than 20,000 ballots in California that federal officials argued were cast by noncitizens. In a brief, unsigned order, the high court rejected the application for an injunction pending appeal, which had been presented to Justice Elena Kagan and referred to the full court. The decision marks a fresh setback for the administration’s broader legal efforts surrounding state voter rolls.
The underlying dispute began in mid-October when the administration filed a lawsuit against California, contending that it had identified more than 20,000 noncitizens registered on the state’s active voter rolls. Federal attorneys sought intervention to ensure what the administration described as a defense of statutory voting integrity, maintaining that the lawsuit aimed to guarantee that only eligible votes are counted.
Lower-court judges, however, have consistently turned away the administration’s claims, ruling that the submitted lists contained significant factual errors and carried a high risk of disenfranchising legally qualified voters. During previous proceedings, federal judges pointed to severe flaws in the administration’s methodology. In one instance, a judge highlighted that after the administration claimed it had specifically verified more than 100 individuals as noncitizens in Nevada, state officials subsequently proved that those individuals were indeed U.S. citizens.
While the Supreme Court has frequently aligned with the administration on various legal matters, it has repeatedly parted ways with federal efforts seeking to restrict or alter voting access. Under the U.S. Constitution, federal executive authority does not extend to the administration of elections, a power that constitutionally rests primarily with state legislatures and Congress.
Representatives for the White House and the Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment regarding the high court’s decision.
