Federal Judges Block Trump Administration in California Election Rulings

Court Order Protects California Poll Workers From Criminal Sanctions

U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson granted labor unions representing California poll workers a sweeping order in Northern California late Friday. The directive bars the Trump administration from demanding that workers set aside ballots from voters whose eligibility the administration questions, and blocks threats of criminal sanctions against staff who refuse. “Election Day is around the corner. Ballots have already been issued. Americans have already begun voting. Workers have already begun processing ballots,” Thompson wrote, adding that the court saw no reason to delay given the consequences of inaction.

A Justice Department spokesperson criticized Thompson for ruling without waiting to hear from the United States, calling the decision part of a two-track system of justice where other federal judges delayed the administration’s urgent claims until after the election. The spokesperson stated that the department is reviewing the order and evaluating all options.

Appeals Court Rejects Bid to Sequester 20,000 Ballots

The Friday ruling followed three other legal defeats in a district court in Los Angeles and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In those proceedings, federal judges blocked an effort to force California officials to immediately set aside the ballots of 20,000 voters alleged to be noncitizens, setting a schedule for fact-finding after polls close instead. The 9th Circuit majority, which wrote that the risks of noncitizens voting are uncertain and tempered by established procedures, noted a material risk that granting the request would result in widespread disenfranchisement and jeopardize the entire election.

In a separate Washington, D.C. case, a federal judge ordered the administration to turn over its list of alleged noncitizen voters to advocacy groups, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Data analysts from the UCLA Voting Rights Project filed a court review on Saturday stating that the provided list contains extensive errors, including citizens and thousands of individuals not on California’s voter list.

Immigration Agents Barred From Field Interviews

The full 9th Circuit declined late Friday to reconsider a ruling by a smaller three-judge panel. That panel upheld an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguin in Oakland, who barred federal immigration agents from conducting door knocks, street stops, and field interviews looking for noncitizen voters in California and eight other states.

Legal challenges originated from a coalition of liberal states, localities like Los Angeles County, and various immigration, voting rights, and labor groups. The administration’s Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against 30 states and Washington, D.C., seeking complete access to voter rolls, but has lost 26 of those cases without securing a win, according to aljazeera.com.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta praised the rulings, writing that Trump is racking up loss after loss. SEIU International President April Verrett stated that winning the critical court order protects workers who make elections possible. Meanwhile, the Trump administration made no immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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