Trump administration loses push to block California votes from alleged noncitizens

Key Points:

• A US appeals court ruled against the Trump administration's request to block California from counting mail ballots from over 20,000 registered voters alleged to be likely noncitizens, citing procedural issues and deferring to a lower court hearing.
• The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals decision marks a setback for the Trump administration's efforts to expand federal oversight of state elections ahead of the November midterms, where Republicans aim to retain Congressional control.
• The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department, sought to prevent California from counting ballots until verifying voter citizenship, but California officials criticized the claims as based on "suspect data" and warned of potential voter disenfranchisement.
• Voting rights advocates expressed concern that the administration's approach risks wrongly flagging naturalized citizens, while evidence indicates noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare; the Justice Department has lost most related lawsuits seeking voter data from states.
• California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the ruling a positive development against what he described as attacks on democracy, highlighting ongoing tensions over election oversight and immigration policies in the state.