Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Segregate 20,000 California Ballots

The federal government has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in California’s election administration, requesting an emergency order to segregate more than 20,000 mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm election. The late legal maneuver follows a series of rejections in lower courts as the executive branch presses claims regarding noncitizen voter registration.

In the court filing submitted Monday, the Justice Department asked for an injunction that would keep the disputed ballots separated from the broader pool until judicial rulings establish their lawfulness. The administration’s move targets ballots cast by individuals whom federal authorities suspect are noncitizens. The emergency application arrived just a day before voters headed to the polls for Tuesday’s midterm contests.

The Supreme Court appeal follows a direct denial from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late last week. A judicial panel consisting of U.S. Circuit Judges Mark Bennett, a Donald Trump appointee, and Gabriel Sanchez, a Joe Biden appointee, rejected the Justice Department’s request for an injunction. The judges informed federal attorneys that Congress serves as the more appropriate venue for altering established procedures governing mail-in voting.

According to the Justice Department’s Supreme Court filing, executive branch officials processed a publicly accessible version of California’s voter rolls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The review allegedly identified more than 20,000 individuals registered to vote in California who federal authorities believe are likely to be noncitizens.

Federal officials stated they delivered a list of those targeted individuals to the California Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar on Oct. 13, 2026. However, state election officials declined to cooperate with the federal government by sharing the full unredacted version of the state’s current voter rolls.

California state leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have firmly rejected the administration’s claims and resisted federal demands. Despite state pushback, the Justice Department has continued its aggressive pursuit of California’s election records. Federal authorities have dispatched letters to various county officials demanding sensitive voter data, including Social Security numbers, original voter registration applications, driver’s license information, and citizenship statuses. Prosecutors have also issued subpoenas to local election officials across the state.

The confrontation with California is part of a broader national campaign by the executive branch. More than a dozen states have complied with federal requests to share their voter rolls, while more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., currently face lawsuits from the federal government for refusing to surrender their voter data.