Read · November 2, 2026
On the eve of the midterms, the Supreme Court denies the Trump administration's emergency request to make California set aside mail ballots from more than 20,000 people it says are likely noncitizens
On Monday evening, the Supreme Court denied the Justice Department's emergency request to order California to set aside the mail ballots of more than 20,000 people the government says are likely not U.S. citizens. The brief, unsigned order gave no reasons and noted no dissents, and it came hours after the department filed. A federal district judge and a divided 9th Circuit panel had already refused the request. California officials say the federal list is unreliable and that setting the ballots aside could disenfranchise eligible voters.
- From the LeftCBS News: Supreme Court rejects Trump's effort to force California to separate mail ballots from alleged noncitizens
CBS reports the one-line, unsigned order with no noted dissents and recaps both lower-court denials.
Grade: C (76/100). Mixes in the reporter's opinion.
- CenterSCOTUSblog: Supreme Court declines Trump administration's request to intervene in California ballot dispute
SCOTUSblog reports the unsigned order, lays out Sauer's arguments and notes Kagan referred it to the Court.
Grade: B (82/100). Leaves out key context.
- From the RightFox News: Supreme Court denies Trump admin request to reverse block on segregating 20K California ballots
Fox reports the denial, quotes the DOJ filing and California's objections, and notes Boasberg's order.
Grade: C (76/100). Gets a fact wrong.
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