US appeals court sceptical of Trump’s lawsuit over California voter rolls

Circuit Judge Mark Bennett, an appointee of Republican President Donald Trump, voiced concern during a rare weekend oral argument that the lawsuit would not hold up to legal scrutiny. The three-judge panel promised to issue a decision as soon as possible.

Bennett pointed to the Elections Clause in the US Constitution, which explicitly grants states the authority to administer elections, not the federal government. "It seems to me that you want us to issue an injunction that is entirely inconsistent with the law that the California legislature has adopted pursuant to the Elections Clause," Bennett told Justice Department lawyer Matthew Donnelly.

Election interference concerns

The lawsuit, filed on October 15, targets California—a left-wing stronghold—less than three weeks before the crucial November 3 midterm elections. The Justice Department has asked the federal court to set aside thousands of mail-in ballots sent to "likely non-citizens" based on a list of 20, names the government believes are ineligible to vote.

This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day.

Voting rights advocates

Trump has repeatedly pushed the discredited claim that the Democratic Party benefits from widespread voting by non-citizens, with California being a frequent target of his election misinformation. Critics accuse him of seeking to dampen voter turnout through intimidation and confusion.

Voting rights advocates have warned that the Trump administration has not publicly revealed how it compiled its list of non-citizen voters, with whistleblower reports casting doubt on the accuracy of such lists. California has countered that it has strong safeguards to prevent non-citizens from voting and that the Justice Department's claims are based on dubious data.