US Midterms: Court Rejects Trump DOJ Ballot Demands, Early Voting Shows Democratic Enthusiasm

A U.S. appeals court has dismissed a Trump-era Justice Department attempt to set aside thousands of California mail ballots, ruling on Monday, October 26, 2026, that the Justice Department had appealed prematurely. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, stated it lacked jurisdiction because the federal government had not allowed the district court sufficient time to consider its request for a temporary restraining order. The court also noted that the Justice Department's "claimed emergency" was "self-constructed" due to its delay in filing the lawsuit.

The Justice Department had sought to prevent California from counting approximately 20,000 mail-in ballots, alleging they were cast by noncitizens. California officials, however, disputed the accuracy of the federal government's list of suspected ineligible voters and argued that many ballots could not be separated once processed. The appeals court's decision sends the underlying lawsuit back to the U.S. District Court for further proceedings, with a hearing scheduled to address the matter.

This ruling allows California election officials to continue processing ballots ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The case highlights ongoing tensions between federal and state authorities regarding election oversight and ballot integrity claims.