Judge orders Trump administration to stop threatening US election officials
Summary
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop threatening state and local election officials with criminal charges or demanding that they set aside ballots over claims that some voters may be non-citizens. Judge Trina Thompson said the actions could disrupt election administration and disenfranchise eligible voters, while Trump criticized the ruling and said he would continue pursuing election integrity.Key Facts
- The ruling came days before the 3 November 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
- The Justice Department sent California officials letters seeking to set aside ballots from about 20,000 registered voters it believed were likely non-citizens.
- Department of Homeland Security officials later delivered letters to California county officials and employees threatening criminal charges if they did not sequester the ballots.
- California officials said they could not comply because state and federal law require them to follow established election procedures.
- Civil rights groups and unions representing election workers sued, alleging federal interference with election administration.
- Judge Trina Thompson also cited a similar Justice Department demand to Washington state officials to stop processing ballots.
- The article reports that the Heritage Foundation database listed 24 convictions of non-citizens for voting between 2005 and 2025.
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