Supreme Court denies Trump bid to block counting of 20,000 California mail ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's appeal to prevent California from counting about 20,000 mail-in ballots, according to NBC News. The Department of Justice had claimed some ballots might have been cast by non-U.S. citizens but provided no explanation for the court's swift decision.

This appeal followed a rejection by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals of the DOJ's request to stop counting these ballots. The DOJ had given Los Angeles County officials a list of voters it suspected were non-citizens, as reported by CNBC.

However, a federal judge, David Carter, denied the DOJ's request to exclude these ballots, highlighting the importance of respecting state authority over election procedures. California officials maintained that the list of alleged non-citizens was unreliable.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized the appeal, calling it an attempt to undermine elections, according to KCRA. The Supreme Court's decision marks another setback for the Trump administration's efforts to scrutinize voter eligibility in California.

The ruling allows California to proceed with counting the mail-in ballots in question, maintaining the state's current election process as the Trump administration faces criticism over its approach and timing.