Trump appeals to Supreme Court over California mail ballots
The gist
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to sideline about 20,000 disputed California mail ballots before the midterms.
California had already logged more than 6 million returned mail ballots statewide.
How it unfolded
- Aug 24, 2026The Supreme Court lifted a pause on Trump's mail-ballot order, allowing him a hand in regulating mail-in ballots nationwide; 23 states and D.C. had challenged the executive order.
- Sep 6, 2026Two days after a federal judge blocked the USPS from enforcing Trump's executive order, the administration asked the Supreme Court to let the agency track mail-in ballots and decide whether they could be rejected.
- Oct 15, 2026The Justice Department sued California in federal court in Los Angeles, seeking to prevent tabulation of mail-in ballots from likely non-citizens until citizenship could be determined.