Lawsuits on the eve of Election Day are giving courts a brief time window to make influential decisions before final votes are cast.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied a last-minute emergency appeal by the Justice Department to set aside more than 20,000 ballots of suspected noncitizens in California.
Meanwhile, lower court judges are still deciding on other Trump administration election law enforcement efforts and a lawsuit alleging voter confusion in a critical Alaska Senate race.
SCOTUS and 20,000 Noncitizens in California
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Justice Department’s request to require that California temporarily set aside mail ballots of more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens until their legal status can be verified.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the district court rejected the administration in the case, asserting that states have the primary authority over elections.
On Monday, the Justice Department announced the arrest of another six foreign nationals for registering to vote and for voting in Los Angeles County. The criminal matter is not related to the civil case, but First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California said the department has charged 34 defendants in “Operation Protect the Vote.”