Federal Judge Rejects Trump Administration's Effort to Impound California Ballots Amid Citizenship Verification Demands

A U.S. District Judge has rejected the Trump administration's attempt to prevent Los Angeles County and California election officials from counting approximately 20,000 ballots from individuals identified by the federal government as noncitizens. This comes as the U.S. Justice Department also demanded that Contra Costa County verify the citizenship status of hundreds of registered voters, threatening legal action if ballots from 'likely aliens' were not sequestered. Election officials in Contra Costa County stated they could not comply with the 48-hour deadline, citing federal and state laws.