Judge denounces DOJ lawsuit over California mail ballots

Executive Briefing

According to reporting by CBS News US Politics, The Justice Department unsuccessfully attempted to force California election workers to set aside mail ballots returned from up to 20,000 alleged noncitizens.

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Washington — A federal judge on Tuesday condemned a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to force California to set aside mail ballots from up to 20,000 alleged noncitizens as an attempt to "disrupt an ongoing election and create confusion and uncertainty."

The one-paragraph order from U.S. District Judge David Carter came in response to the Trump administration's move to voluntarily dismiss the suit it filed against California officials and Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder and county clerk, just weeks before the midterm elections.

"This lawsuit attempted to disrupt an ongoing election and create confusion and uncertainty for voters and election workers alike," Carter wrote. "The right to vote is sacred. So, too, is trust in our democracy."

The Justice Department filed its lawsuit after alleging that there were more than 20,000 people who it believed were not U.S. citizens but were registered to vote in California. It sought a court order forcing election workers to separate mail ballots returned by those it had identified as suspected noncitizens.

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Information in this article was compiled directly from records provided by CBS News US Politics. Access the primary source document at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-david-carter-justice-department-lawsuit-california-mail-ballots-noncitizens/. Reporting and editorial review conducted by the USA NOW News Desk.