Follow-Up: Newsom Calls Ninth Circuit Ruling in Voter Ballot Case a 'Positive Development'
California Governor Gavin Newsom on October 26 issued a statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's dismissal of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appeal in the California ballot case, calling the ruling a 'positive development.' The Governor's Office released the statement in Sacramento; California Attorney General Rob Bonta also commented in the same release, saying California will keep fighting the federal government's overreach.
'Today's ruling is a positive development and a welcome speed bump to Trump's disgusting attacks on the Constitution and our country's democracy,' Newsom said. He said he has been sounding the alarm since last year, arguing that Trump is trying to seize powers the Constitution entrusts to others, and that this lawsuit is only the latest step.
Newsom also urged Californians to vote: 'Vote early, go to a vote center, put your ballot in a dropbox. If everyone who cares about democracy participates, this election won't be close.' He added: 'California is fighting back. And we are calling on all Californians to do the same.'
Bonta said the U.S. Constitution gives states and Congress — not the President or the Executive Branch — the power to determine the time, place, and manner of elections, and that the court's order is an important step in protecting Californians' right to vote and the state's authority to run fair and secure elections. He said all the evidence — counts, recounts, hand counts and audits — shows voter fraud is exceedingly rare, that California has safeguards in place consistent with federal law, and that the state 'will fight back against the Administration's unlawful overreach at every turn.'
The case stems from the DOJ's suit seeking to set aside mail ballots cast by more than 20,000 registered voters the federal government says may not be citizens. The Ninth Circuit on October 26 rejected the DOJ's emergency appeal by 2-1 and sent the case back to the district court, which is set to hold a hearing on October 27, one week before the November 3 midterm election.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州州长办公室官方照片（Charles Ommanney 摄，公共领域），经 Wikimedia Commons
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