Trump's bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots fails

The court declined to intervene on Monday, November 2, rejecting an emergency application filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The unsigned decision provided no explanation, and no justices publicly dissented.

The administration had asked the court to order California election officials to separate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal authorities as likely noncitizens. It argued that the measure would allow officials to verify their citizenship before counting the votes, rather than canceling them outright.

According to the application, the federal government identified more than 20,000 individuals who appeared on California's voter rolls but were considered likely noncitizens following a review of publicly available information. Officials submitted the list to California's Secretary of State and Los Angeles County Registrar on October 13, 2026.

The administration maintained that separating the ballots was necessary because they could no longer be identified once mixed with other ballots.

California officials disputed the federal government's findings, questioning the accuracy of the list. They also warned that separating the ballots could disenfranchise eligible voters and disrupt the election process.

The appeals court concluded that the proposed measure could violate other federal election laws and create significant difficulties for election officials.

The Supreme Court's decision came a day before the November 3 midterm elections.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Donald Trump wanted to ban the term ‘AI’ in favor of ‘Super Intelligence’.