9th Circuit hears emergency DOJ request over California ballot processing
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A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals convened an emergency hearing after the Justice Department sought an injunction to halt ballot processing in Los Angeles County.
The U.S. Department of Justice asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hold an emergency hearing on Sunday regarding a request to stop the processing of mail-in ballots in Los Angeles County. The appeal follows a lower-court case in which federal lawyers sought a temporary restraining order to set aside ballots they allege may be illegal.
California Deputy Solicitor General Samuel P. Siegel told the appellate judges that the Department’s claim that ballots were being opened without notice was "absurd on its face," noting that county officials regularly count ballots and post daily tallies online. Approximately 600,000 mail-in ballots have been opened in Los Angeles so far.
The Department’s attorneys argue that a list of roughly 20,000 voters they consider potentially ineligible justifies immediate judicial intervention, asserting that once a ballot is removed from its envelope it cannot be linked to the voter. The judges questioned whether the federal courts have jurisdiction over state-run elections, referencing the 10th Amendment’s reservation of powers to the states.
The appellate panel is expected to issue a ruling in the coming days. The case is part of a broader set of legal challenges by the Trump administration concerning voter registration lists and ballot handling in several states.