‘Interfering with election administration’: Judge limits DOJ, DHS pressure on election officials
WASHINGTON, DC: A federal judge oon Friday, October 30, ordered the Trump administration to stop pressuring state and local election officials over ballots it claimed belonged to ineligible voters. The order comes just days before the November 3 midterm elections and will remain in effect until November 16.
US District Judge Trina Thompson in California issued the eight-page ruling after the Justice Department sent letters to election officials in 57 of California's 58 counties. The letters urged officials to cooperate with investigations into illegal voting. The administration said its efforts were aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting, but similar actions in Washington state and California have already triggered lawsuits.
Judge's order restricts DOJ and DHS pressure on election officials
The eight-page order prohibits any action that may “threaten, intimidate or coerce state or local elections officials or workers to demand that they halt processing the ballots of any registered voter solely on the basis that the ballot belongs to an individual alleged by [the administration] to be ineligible to vote.”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 Biden-appointed activist Judge Trina Thompson has ruled that DOJ and DHS broke the law and overstepped their authority for daring to press officials to sequester or withhold ballots from registered voters the agencies say may not be eligible. This is what a judicial coup looks like. Welcome to America in 2026.
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) October 31, 2026
Thompson, who is based in California, wrote, “In the lead-up to the election, high-ranking DOJ and DHS officials have engaged in a campaign to intimidate, threaten, and coerce state and local officials and employees who are engaged in administering the ongoing midterm 2026 election.”
The order followed efforts to require states such as California and Washington to separate ballots that the administration claimed could have been cast by noncitizens.
An appeals court ruled against the administration in California earlier this week, while the Washington case remains pending.
“Although Defendants claim that their actions are designed to halt unlawful voting by noncitizens, their actions are likely to have the effect of interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters,” Thompson wrote on Friday.
DOJ letters target election officials in 57 California counties
The Justice Department sent letters to election officials in 57 of California's 58 counties last week, directing them to cooperate with the DOJ's investigations into illegal voting.
A letter sent to an election official in San Bernardino County on October 22 stated, “As you're aware, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections,” it said. “I write to seek your help to protect the integrity of the ongoing federal election.”
First Assistant US Attorney Bilal Essayli wrote that he was attaching a list of “1133 likely aliens” registered to vote in San Bernardino County.
“Within 48 hours, we ask that you commit to working with DOJ and DHS to identify who on the accompanying list is a citizen and who is not,” Essayli wrote.
He added, “That means sending us the nonpublic information associated with each suspected alien's registration,” including Social Security numbers, state IDs or driver's licenses.
Essayli asserted that the list of alleged noncitizens was created using a “multilayered, multiagency investigative methodology” by the Department of Homeland Security. He urged election officials to comply, warning that “The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring federal crimes are significant.”
Trump administration faces court defeats over voter eligibility and ballots
Thompson issued the order following a series of legal defeats for the administration.
Last Friday, a federal appeals court rejected the administration's effort to require California election officials to separate ballots it claimed belonged to noncitizens.
On Monday, another appeals court rejected the Justice Department's push to stop more than 20,000 ballots from being counted, despite officials' arguments that noncitizens were included on the state's voter rolls.
By Wednesday, a federal judge had ruled that requiring California to separate the ballots crossed a constitutional line, as states have the authority to administer their own elections. The judge also questioned the process used to identify suspected noncitizens.
Meanwhile, a similar legal battle over the administration's efforts remains ongoing in Washington state.
