Federal Judge Rejects Trump Bid to Block California Ballots
(MENAFN) A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to prevent the counting of 20,000 ballots in California cast by registered voters whose US citizenship has been questioned, ruling that the move would violate constitutional principles and federal election laws.
US District Judge David Carter criticized the government’s attempt to intervene shortly before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, emphasizing that states retain authority over their election procedures.
"Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch," Carter wrote in his ruling. "The federal government seeks to segregate and exclude over 20,000 ballots. This request violates longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections."
Carter described the administration’s allegations as "not credible" and warned that intervening only days before the election could violate federal voting laws and disrupt the electoral process.
"If Plaintiff’s last-minute request for relief were granted, either party could create chaos for their own political purposes to disrupt the election process," Carter said. "Over 20,000 registered Californians would potentially lose the right that generations of Americans have fought to preserve."
"The Government’s Application for Temporary Restraining Order is DENIED."
The judge added that granting the request could disenfranchise eligible voters and create a precedent for future political interference in elections. He stressed that protecting constitutional rights and democratic institutions served the public interest.
"Constitutional rights and our democracy are at stake. The public interest favors their protection," said Carter. "Individuals who have met the requirements of California’s voter registration laws must not be deprived of a core right merely because of unfounded allegations stemming from a procedure rife with uncertainty and errors."
Carter also noted that federal laws already provide mechanisms to prosecute illegal voting, while California has procedures "to cancel the voter registrations of any individuals proven ineligible."
"The Executive Branch cannot replace the remedy Congress carefully enacted with its own unlawful and unconstitutional solution instead," said Carter. "Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable. Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred."
The judge concluded that allowing votes to be excluded based on unproven claims would put democratic institutions at risk.
"If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger," he concluded. "This Court declines to be a party to such process."
The decision marked the second legal setback for the Trump administration this week in its efforts to obtain a temporary restraining order against California and Los Angeles County. A three-judge panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a separate emergency request from the government on Monday, according to reports.
US District Judge David Carter criticized the government’s attempt to intervene shortly before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, emphasizing that states retain authority over their election procedures.
"Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch," Carter wrote in his ruling. "The federal government seeks to segregate and exclude over 20,000 ballots. This request violates longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections."
Carter described the administration’s allegations as "not credible" and warned that intervening only days before the election could violate federal voting laws and disrupt the electoral process.
"If Plaintiff’s last-minute request for relief were granted, either party could create chaos for their own political purposes to disrupt the election process," Carter said. "Over 20,000 registered Californians would potentially lose the right that generations of Americans have fought to preserve."
"The Government’s Application for Temporary Restraining Order is DENIED."
The judge added that granting the request could disenfranchise eligible voters and create a precedent for future political interference in elections. He stressed that protecting constitutional rights and democratic institutions served the public interest.
"Constitutional rights and our democracy are at stake. The public interest favors their protection," said Carter. "Individuals who have met the requirements of California’s voter registration laws must not be deprived of a core right merely because of unfounded allegations stemming from a procedure rife with uncertainty and errors."
Carter also noted that federal laws already provide mechanisms to prosecute illegal voting, while California has procedures "to cancel the voter registrations of any individuals proven ineligible."
"The Executive Branch cannot replace the remedy Congress carefully enacted with its own unlawful and unconstitutional solution instead," said Carter. "Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable. Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred."
The judge concluded that allowing votes to be excluded based on unproven claims would put democratic institutions at risk.
"If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger," he concluded. "This Court declines to be a party to such process."
The decision marked the second legal setback for the Trump administration this week in its efforts to obtain a temporary restraining order against California and Los Angeles County. A three-judge panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a separate emergency request from the government on Monday, according to reports.
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