Follow-Up: Judge Carter Denies DOJ Bid to Set Aside More Than 20,000 California Ballots: Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta Issue Statements

SACRAMENTO, California — California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta issued statements through the Governor's Office on the evening of October 28 in response to a ruling that evening by U.S. District Judge David Carter: Carter denied the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) request to set aside mail ballots from more than 20,000 California voters, and the ballots will be processed and counted as usual in the November 3 midterm elections.

In his 26-page ruling, Carter wrote: "Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch." He concluded: "Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred. If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process." The ruling came after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-to-1 on October 26 against the Justice Department's emergency request; Carter held a hearing in Los Angeles on October 27 and ruled on the evening of October 28.

In his statement, Newsom said: "For the second day this week, our country's legal system is standing up to the President's authoritarian attempts to remain in power unchecked and unchallenged. For more than a year, California's sovereignty has been under siege, and this lawsuit is his latest attack on the rule of law, the California Constitution, and the U.S. Constitution."

Newsom added: "California will continue to deliver a free and fair election that follows both state and federal law, as the Judicial Branch — importantly a co-equal branch of government — is deciding in real time, much to the Trump Administration's dismay."

Bonta said in his statement: "No administration can disenfranchise thousands of individuals or disrupt an ongoing election based on highly unreliable claims of noncitizenship... today's ruling is yet another important victory for the rule of law and the right to vote. But this fight is not over. We will keep fighting to protect California's elections from unlawful federal interference and get this baseless lawsuit dismissed."

The case stems from the Justice Department's October 15 lawsuit against California and Los Angeles County, which alleged that more than 20,000 registered voters on a list it compiled are likely noncitizens and sought to have their mail ballots set aside before counting; California and intervening voting-rights groups argued that the list's matching method is likely unreliable. NPR has reported that the Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling, and the case could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Related: Follow-Up: Federal Judge Carter Denies Justice Department Bid to Set Aside More Than 20,000 California Mail Ballots

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：加州州长加文·纽森（Gavin Newsom）在州长办公室记者会上。照片来源：加州州长办公室，2025年5月14日，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons 取得。 / Photo: California Governor Gavin Newsom at a Governor's Office press conference. Office of the Governor of California, May 14, 2025, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Latest in California

San Diego's Homelessness Response Resources Nearly Double in Seven Years, From 5,924 to 11,5722026-10-31Tijuana River Valley Health Study Seeks Researchers: Up to $250,000 to Examine Disease Rates in Border Communities2026-10-31