# Judge denies the Justice Department’s bid to stop processing California ballots

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/judge-denies-the-justice-departments-bid-to-stop-processing-california-ballots/
- Published: 2026-10-29T00:52:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T00:41:03+00:00
- Original publisher: NPR (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6021478/doj-california-ballots-denied
- Topics: Americas, Art, Culture, Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- A judge refused to halt processing of ballots linked to about 20,000 California voters.
- The Justice Department’s citizenship claims and matching method remain disputed.
- The department said it would appeal the emergency ruling.

## Summary

A federal judge rejected the US Justice Department’s emergency request to halt the processing of ballots linked to about 20,000 California voters whom federal officials described as “likely” non-citizens. In his 28 October ruling, US District Judge David Carter refused to order election officials to set those ballots aside while citizenship checks continued. The department argued that the matter was urgent because, once a mailed ballot is separated from its verified envelope to protect voter confidentiality, officials cannot identify and retrieve it. California officials disputed the reliability of the federal list and said the proposed change, days before the midterm election, could prevent eligible voters’ ballots from being counted.

Carter found the government’s evidence insufficient to justify disrupting an election already under way. He raised concerns about the method used to identify the voters and said segregating ballots could harm eligible voters and create confusion for election workers. The ruling did not resolve every dispute over the list or prevent prosecutors from pursuing individual cases of unlawful voting. The Justice Department said it would appeal, leaving the wider legal fight open even as California continued processing ballots under its existing procedures.

## Coverage

- [NPR: Judge denies the Justice Department’s bid to stop processing California ballots](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6021478/doj-california-ballots-denied)
- [NPR: Judge denies the Justice Department's bid to stop processing California ballots](https://www.knpr.org/npr/2026-10-28/judge-denies-the-justice-departments-bid-to-stop-processing-california-ballots)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.