Supreme Court rejects Trump's request to stop California counting disputed votes
The ruling, which comes on the eve of the midterm elections, essentially ends the Trump administration's bid to disqualify the ballots in the state.
Supreme Court rejects Trump's request to stop California counting disputed votes
The US Supreme Court has turned down a last-minute plea from the Trump administration to step into California's midterm election vote count.
The justice department had sought to have 20,000 ballots set aside, claiming they may have been issued to non-US citizens in the state.
Two lower courts had already refused the request. State election officials challenged the federal government's assertions, saying the method used to identify alleged non-citizens was inaccurate.
The Monday decision comes on the eve of the midterms, which will decide which political party controls the US Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term.
The Supreme Court announced its ruling in a one-line order, saying it was denying the justice department's request for an injunction.
"The application for injunction pending appeal presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied," it reads.
That means the lower court rulings will remain in place and effectively ends the Trump administration's effort to disqualify the ballots.
California is the most populous state in America, with about 23 million people on its voting register. By Sunday night, more than six million mail-in ballots had already been received, according to the California secretary of state's office.
Last month, the justice department sent letters to the California secretary of state and the Los Angeles County Registrar, demanding that they set aside the ballots of 20,000 registered voters whom the Trump administration "believe" are "likely" non-citizens, according to court documents.
Roughly a week later, armed officials from the Department of Homeland Security delivered letters to county officials and employees across California, threatening criminal charges if they did not sequester those ballots.
In a 22-page brief reviewed by the BBC, the justice department argued that ballots cast by non-citizens could "debase or dilute valid votes".
On Friday, a federal appeals court rejected the government's request to separate the ballots.
California election officials have questioned the accuracy of the government's claims and said the list of names provided by the government is full of inaccuracies.
They have warned that eligible voters could be disenfranchised and said separating ballots while voting is under way is not feasible.
The efforts are part of a years-long campaign by Trump and his administration to combat alleged voter fraud that they say is widespread, despite research showing it is extremely rare.
President Trump has repeatedly said Democrats steal elections by letting immigrants vote illegally, and he blames much of it on the so-called "mail-in" or postal voting allowed in many Democratic states.
Last week, in a sharply critical ruling, district judge David Carter said the government's move in California reflected an "ongoing pattern of attempted election interference" by the Trump administration.
The judge added that "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".