# Court Rejects Trump Bid to Set Aside 20,000 CA Ballots

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/court-rejects-trump-bid-to-set-aside-20000-ca-ballots
- Published: 2026-11-01T07:07:12.126207+00:00
- Topics: election-law, voting-rights, noncitizen-voting, judiciary, midterm-elections

## What the left says
- The DOJ's list of suspected noncitizens was found not credible by both the district court and appeals court majority, undermining the basis for the entire legal action.
- Segregating or discarding ballots this close to an election risks disenfranchising eligible citizens who were wrongly flagged, with no reliable way to identify only ineligible voters.
- This effort fits a broader pattern of the administration attempting to assert federal control over state-run elections and intimidate election workers, as shown by the separate ruling barring DOJ intimidation of poll workers.
- Trump's unsubstantiated claims that he would have won California 'by a lot' under an 'honest vote count' reflect a pattern of baseless fraud allegations that erode public trust in elections without evidence.

## What the right says
- Federal law clearly prohibits noncitizens from voting, and the DOJ views enforcing that law as a basic governmental duty rather than a political agenda.
- The dissenting judge argued the requested remedy was modest—merely segregating disputed ballots to allow time for verification—not canceling any votes outright.
- Allowing a state to mix ballots from citizens and suspected noncitizens without verification dilutes the voting power of legitimate citizens and raises real concerns about election integrity.
- The legal fight isn't over, since the administration can still seek full Ninth Circuit review or appeal to the Supreme Court.

## Common ground
- The Ninth Circuit ruled 2-1 against the DOJ, with the majority opinion written by one Trump appointee and one Biden appointee.
- The DOJ identified roughly 20,000 California voters it believes may be noncitizens.
- The district court found the DOJ's methodology for identifying suspected noncitizens was not credible.
- Millions of Californians had already voted before the ruling, and processed ballots cannot be traced back to individual voters.

## Sources
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/30/doj-california-noncitizen-voter-list-court) (Lean Left)
- [Blaze Media](https://www.theblaze.com/news/ninth-circuit-noncitizen-ballots) (Right)
- [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/election-2026-california-noncitizen-voting_n_6ae53e9ee4b03a6ff49228e1) (Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6185093-trump-administration-california-ballots-ninth-circuit-appeals-court/) (Center)
- [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/oct/30/trump-suffers-another-loss-effort-block-california-ballots/) (Right)

---
Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). You may quote, summarize and cite it, including in AI answers, as long as you credit TwoTakes and link the story URL. Original reporting belongs to the linked outlets. Summaries are AI-assisted and reviewed for balance; check the original sources for authoritative reporting.