Appeals Court Blocks DOJ's Bid to Set Aside Thousands of California Midterm Ballots

A federal appeals court in the U.S. has delivered a major blow to the Justice Department attempts to control state elections, rejecting its request on Friday to have California set aside thousands of 'disputed ballots' for the upcoming midterm election. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 2-1 decision, upheld an earlier district court ruling, arguing there's simply 'no feasible way' to separate these ballots without risking chaos and unfairly stopping eligible citizens from voting. This legal battle heats up just days before Election Day on Tuesday, with the Trump administration pushing hard to ensure 'election integrity' by challenging around 20,000 ballots it claims were sent to non-citizens. However, California officials have strongly pushed back, calling the federal government's list unreliable and warning that such an action would wrongly stop many U.S. citizens from having their votes counted. This ruling highlights a growing tension between federal and state powers over how elections are managed, especially concerning voter eligibility and mail-in voting. The Justice Department has previously indicated it might take this fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for more legal drama. Meanwhile, another related 9th Circuit decision on Friday put a hold on federal investigations into illegal noncitizen voting in nine other states until after the midterms, aiming to prevent election worker intimidation. This series of rulings means California election process will largely continue as planned, but the broader conflict over election rules and federal oversight is far from over, leaving voters and officials on edge.