Trump administration loses push to block California votes from alleged non-citizens

A US appeals court on Oct 26 ruled 2-1 against the Trump administration, denying its request to block California from counting mail ballots from people on a list of more than 20,000 registered voters the federal government alleges are likely non-citizens. The 9th Circuit majority said the Justice Department had not given a lower court judge an adequate chance to consider the case, making appellate review premature; a hearing was scheduled for Oct 27. Circuit Judge Gabriel Sanchez wrote that the federal government asks a court to dictate a matter within the state's traditional domain, inviting disorder and confusion. Justice Department officials said on Oct 19 that 28 people on the list had been criminally charged with illegal voting. The Justice Department sued on Oct 15 in Los Angeles. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber's lawyers called the case a reckless political stunt that threatens to disenfranchise thousands. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, called the ruling a positive development. A Reuters investigation found 129 federal non-citizen illegal voting cases.

Where accounts differ. The Straits Times reports the ruling as a 2-1 decision with the Justice Department's lawsuit filed in Los Angeles; the Korea Herald gives the same account, with only differences in date formatting and the hearing being described as Tuesday rather than Oct 27, so no substantive conflict appears.

The Straits TimesThe Korea Herald

Written by AI from these outlets' articles: facts they report, claims attributed, numbers checked against the sources. It may still contain errors; read the originals.