Judge Rejects DOJ Bid to Segregate Up to 20,000 Ballots
A federal judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday refused to block California from counting 20,000 mail ballots. The Trump administration had questioned the citizenship of the voters who cast them.
26-page order calls the administration's allegations not credible.
2-1 appeals panel rejected the department's emergency request on Monday.
28 California residents have been charged in related DHS investigations.
Carter, a Clinton appointee, ruled after a 3½-hour hearing Tuesday.
Why it matters: The case asks whether Washington can force a state to change ballot procedures mid-election. Carter wrote that the request would "wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway."
The DOJ says counted ballots cannot be traced once separated from envelopes.
California and Los Angeles County dispute whether the federal list is reliable.
