The Justice Department sued California on Thursday, asking a federal judge to block the state from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters the government says are likely noncitizens. The suit comes days after federal officials warned the state they could take emergency action.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It names the state, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan. The Daily Caller first reported the filing Thursday afternoon.
What the lawsuit asks for
- Set ballots aside: Prosecutors want California to hold back mail ballots from the people on the federal list and not count them until their citizenship is verified.
- Check citizenship: The suit asks the state to confirm citizenship on its own or with federal agencies, not rely only on the statement voters sign when they register.
- Where the names came from: Homeland Security Investigations compared public voter files with federal immigration records. DHS says the review is preliminary and still going on.
How the dispute built
California mails a ballot to every registered voter. The complaint says the state sent this year’s ballots on Oct. 1. Federal officials gave the state a list of more than 20,000 names on Oct. 13 and asked it to work with them on the review. The government says California declined. iSEARK.com reported earlier this week that the Justice Department had threatened emergency action over the list.
“California election officials were given an opportunity to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls and to sequester ballots returned from suspected ineligible voters. They refused,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in the department’s release. Attorney General Todd Blanche called it “state-facilitated voter fraud” and said the state would have “seriously undermined confidence” in elections if a court finds it responsible.
California pushes back
California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote on X that ballots are already in most voters’ hands and called the administration’s demands “meritless.” He said the state looks forward to making its case in court. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the suit a “desperate attempt” to suppress California voters, the Daily Caller reported. The allegations have not been proven in court. The general election is Nov. 3.
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California release and complaint, Oct. 15, 2026 (justice.gov); The Daily Caller; Attorney General Rob Bonta’s post on X.
