Supreme Court rules against Trump on California ballots
The gist
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to segregate up to 20,000 California mail-in ballots.
The order lets California count normally, with no justice publicly dissenting.
How it unfolded
- Oct 28, 2026U.S. District Judge David Carter refused the government's request for a temporary order directing California to sequester ballots of "likely noncitizens," questioning the credibility of the allegations.
- Oct 30, 2026The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, barred the administration from intervening in California's mail-in ballot counting.
- Nov 2, 2026The administration filed a 19-page emergency request asking the Supreme Court to require California to keep up to 20,000 ballots separate until citizenship was verified.