Supreme Court denies Trump administration's bid to set aside more than 20,000 California mail ballots

Summary

On Monday, November 2, 2026, on the eve of the US midterm elections, the Supreme Court denied a Trump administration request to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters whom federal officials allege are probably non-US citizens. The Justice Department had asked the court to require the state to segregate the challenged ballots now, arguing that once they were commingled with lawful ballots they could not be recovered. The request followed a 2–1 federal appeals court ruling the previous week that rejected the administration's bid, and a late-October order by U.S. District Judge David Carter denying a temporary restraining order, which cited the vagueness of the government's procedures and the unreliability of its similar claims in other states. The high court's denial came in an unsigned order. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the department will continue pursuing every available legal avenue, and the California Secretary of State's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   2 Nov 2026, 16:37 UTCSource ↗

   Reported that the Trump administration took its California ballot fight to the Supreme Court, asking that allegedly unlawful ballots be set aside until those voters are determined to be US citizens.

2. South China Morning Post

   2 Nov 2026, 17:57 UTCSource ↗

   Reported that on Monday, the eve of the US midterm elections, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters federal officials allege are probably non-US citizens.

3. Axios

   2 Nov 2026, 18:11 UTCSource ↗

   Reported that the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to require California to separate ballots of more than 20,000 voters the government suspects are likely non-citizens, after a federal appeals court rejected its bid the previous week.

4. CBC News

   2 Nov 2026, 18:27 UTCSource ↗

   Reported that the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the push for California to set aside thousands of mail ballots from people the administration claims are non-citizens, on the eve of the final day of voting in the midterm elections.

5. Axios

   2 Nov 2026, 23:09 UTCSource ↗

   Reported that the Supreme Court on Monday denied the Trump administration's request to hear its case over more than 20,000 California ballots, in an unsigned order that Axios called a blow to the administration.