Judge Boasberg sides against Trump administration over 20,000 'likely noncitizen' voters in California
California officials got a boost from a Washington, D.C., judge in their fight against the Trump administration over 20,000 "likely noncitizen" voters.The administration has tried to use the power of the courts to compel California to segregate ballots of people on a list it compiled of possible noncitizen voters.'If I'm hearing that the list is flawed and it's overinclusive and includes individuals who are eligible to vote, that's a problem.'Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., James Boasberg said Monday that California should determine how to run its own elections."The Executive Branch has likely violated the Constitution's Elections Clause, which commits authority over election rules to the states and Congress alone," Boasberg wrote in the ruling Monday. "California may decide for itself what procedures to use for verifying the citizenship of registered voters and for deciding whether to count their mail-in ballots."Boasberg challenged the administration on the accuracy of the list and opined that it would risk disenfranchising legal voters."Defendants' flawed lists risk chilling or preventing lawful votes from being cast and counted," he wrote.An attorney for the government admitted in a court hearing in San Francisco that there was a "high error rate" in the list while being questioned by U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson."If I'm hearing that the list is flawed and it's overinclusive and includes individuals who are eligible to vote, that's a problem," Thompson said.The administration has also requested an emergency intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court to force California to segregate the ballots.Boasberg has been accused of being politically biased against the Trump administration. In one case from March, the judge blocked subpoenas against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from the Justice Department.RELATED: Newsom is OUTRAGED over Justice Department lawsuit to block votes from 20,000 'likely noncitizens' California officials have accused the administration of using the "noncitizens" list to influence the election unfairly. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was especially acidic in his response. "This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day," he responded to a DOJ lawsuit. "Courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections," he added. "We will defend free and fair elections in the Golden State and call out every authoritarian attempt to undermine our democracy."Boasberg was nominated by former President Barack Obama.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A Washington, D.C. judge ruled that California can determine its own election procedures, pushing back against the Trump administration’s attempt to compel the state to segregate ballots of 20,000 “likely noncitizen” voters. The judge cited concerns that the administration’s list was flawed and could disenfranchise eligible voters, potentially violating the Constitution’s Elections Clause. California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, criticized the administration’s actions as an attempt to suppress votes.
- A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration’s effort to force California to segregate ballots of 20,000 “likely noncitizen” voters.
- The judge stated that the administration may have violated the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which gives states authority over their elections.
- Concerns were raised about the accuracy of the administration’s list, with a government attorney admitting a “high error rate” and the judge opining it could disenfranchise legal voters.
- California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, accused the administration of attempting to suppress voters and unfairly influence the election.
- The administration had sought emergency intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court to segregate the ballots.
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