The Justice Department sued California and sought the emergency order after state officials declined to comply with a 48 hour deadline to review a password protected thumb drive of suspected noncitizen voters compiled by US Citizenship and Immigration Services and Homeland Security Investigations. Federal prosecutors also charged 28 green card holders across California with election crimes, all of whom appeared on the 20,000 name list, including 22 accused of voting in 2024 and four accused only of registering. California officials have pushed back on the reliability of the federal list, with Governor Gavin Newsom's press office pointing to a Justice Department official's acknowledgment that "there may be some names on there who it turns out ultimately are citizens."
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Story
LA County Tells Court It Cannot Independently Verify Voter Citizenship as California Fights DOJ Bid to Set Aside 20,000 Ballots
US Politics7 hours ago
Los Angeles County election officials stated in a federal court filing that they have no independent way to verify US citizenship for voters and rely solely on an applicant checking yes or no under penalty of perjury. The filing came as California asked a federal judge to reject the Trump administration's request for an emergency temporary restraining order to set aside more than 20,000 mail ballots sent to suspected noncitizens. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli called the county's statement a "massive concession," noting that state officials have not acted on the Justice Department's list of 20,000 flagged registrants or agreed to segregate their ballots.
Looking for more context or analysis?
Tilt chat provides reliable, tailored insights, alerts, and automations.