US Supreme Court rejects bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots
The administration had asked justices to stop counting ballots from voters suspected of being noncitizens until their eligibility was verified.
The US Supreme Court rejected an emergency request by the Trump administration on Monday to set aside mail-in ballots from about 20,000 registered California voters, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
The administration had asked the justices to step in and keep the ballots from being counted until voters' eligibility was established, a move made just one day before the November midterm elections.
Federal authorities had identified more than 20,000 registered California voters whom they suspected of being noncitizens, and the administration argued that election officials should temporarily separate those ballots pending verification of citizenship.
The court said in its order that the application for an injunction pending appeal, presented to Justice Elena Kagan and referred by her to the full court, was denied.
The request was filed earlier on Monday, as the legal dispute over the ballots escalated and the administration sought to prevent the ballots from being counted before their eligibility was settled.
Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and individual states are responsible for maintaining voter rolls and running their elections.
The midterm elections, which determine the House and part of the Senate, are held every two years, and this year's vote falls on Nov. 3.
