Court Blocks DOJ Election Actions as Ballot Fight Continues

Ahead of the 2026 midterms, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it sideline about 20,000 California ballots cast by people it considers likely noncitizens, after lower courts rejected the request; California officials and election experts say the federal data is unreliable, and the court’s response may come too late to affect Election Day. A separate federal judge called the Justice Department’s threats of prosecution against election workers an intimidation plan, barred it from seeking to halt ballot processing or remove suspected noncitizens from voter rolls, and ordered it to notify threatened jurisdictions. The department has also warned election officials nationwide to preserve election records for 22 months, citing possible criminal penalties for willful violations, while some state officials called the warning unusually threatening. California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged federal judges to watch for possible efforts to seize ballots before results are certified. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb warned that election disputes could continue after voting, including over a second Dan Sullivan listed on Alaska’s Senate ballot; historian Allan Lichtman separately forecast that Democrats would win both chambers and put their chances of taking the Senate at 67%. The election outcomes remain unsettled.