9th Circuit denies feds' appeal over 20,000 ballots; district court hearing to proceed

Key Points:

• A federal appeals court denied the U.S. Justice Department's emergency request to block California from counting about 20,000 ballots flagged for questionable voter citizenship, citing lack of jurisdiction as a lower court has yet to rule.
• Two judges on the 9th Circuit panel, appointed by Trump and Biden respectively, expressed that they would have denied the request on constitutional and practical grounds, emphasizing the potential chaos and confusion such an intervention would cause close to the election.
• The dissenting judge argued the federal government has the authority to intervene to protect election integrity and prevent noncitizen voting, framing it as a sovereign interest.
• California officials welcomed the ruling, viewing it as a protection of voters' rights and the state's authority to conduct elections, while the Trump administration’s legal team declined to comment.
• The case will proceed in the lower court, where the key issue is whether California must halt processing the flagged ballots until citizenship verification can be provided, with state officials arguing the request is unconstitutional, unworkable, and based on flawed data.