United States District Court for the Central District of California

The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to 57 of California's 58 counties demanding officials help verify the citizenship status of voters flagged on a federal list of roughly 20,000 names, threatening potential criminal prosecution for tabulating ballots from noncitizens. San Diego County, given 48 hours to respond regarding 1,709 flagged voters, said it is "evaluating next steps" rather than committing to the request. The move follows a DOJ lawsuit against Los Angeles County and the Secretary of State after they declined to set aside the flagged ballots. California officials call the list error-ridden and the effort election interference, while critics say it may violate a federal "quiet period" rule barring systematic voter list reviews before elections.

The Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in every California county demanding they identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls within 48 hours, warning of "significant federal scrutiny" and possible prosecution for noncompliance. The letters, affecting roughly 20,000 voters statewide, requested sensitive data including Social Security numbers. Officials were told to segregate, not cancel, affected ballots. California's attorney general said the lists contain errors, including people living outside the counties named, and Los Angeles County found over 40% of a sampled group had already-canceled registrations, with most showing no voting history and nearly 4 in 10 born in the U.S.

The demand follows a DOJ lawsuit against California and a statewide sweep charging 28 people with illegal registration, coming days before the midterms as a 9th Circuit panel weighs the state's compliance obligations. The DOJ says it is not requesting a purge or cancellation of registrations, only collaboration, but federal prosecutors warned that clerks who process a noncitizen's ballot could face legal jeopardy. Governor Gavin Newsom accused the DOJ of sending lists containing people who never voted or who live in the wrong county, calling it fabricated evidence of fraud. County officials in Napa, Contra Costa, Inyo, Mendocino and elsewhere questioned the data's accuracy and said they are proceeding with ballot counting as usual despite the pressure.

Los Angeles is in confidential mediation with attorneys monitoring a nearly $1.4 billion, 30-year settlement requiring the city to repair sidewalks and build curb ramps for residents with mobility disabilities. The settlement, from a class-action lawsuit, is in its 10th year. Monitoring lawyers say the city has repeatedly breached its terms, citing a backlog of nearly 5,000 repair requests and slow curb-ramp installation during street resurfacing. The city has completed about 1,750 repairs since 2016 and says it meets the required $31 million annual funding level (now about $36 million with inflation adjustments), though officials acknowledge that funding is insufficient to clear the citywide backlog. If mediation fails, lawyers may ask a federal court to intervene.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed the state's 100th lawsuit against the federal government since President Trump began his second term, reaching that milestone in just 21 months compared to 123 suits over four years during the first Trump administration. The latest suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges ICE has continued arresting people at state courthouses despite a judicial order barring the practice.

State officials cite data showing ICE detained 34 people at courthouses in June and 28 in July, after the court order took effect. California's Justice Department argues the enforcement activity has a "chilling effect," deterring victims, witnesses, and suspects from appearing in court. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero has also warned the practice undermines the administration of justice. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring federal agents to show a judicial warrant and identify themselves before making arrests within 1,000 feet of state courthouses.

The Department of Justice escalated its dispute with California over a list of voters flagged as possible noncitizens, filing an emergency lawsuit Oct. 15 in federal court in the Central District of California after state officials missed a roughly 48-hour deadline set by Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter to review the names. DOJ had sent Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan and Secretary of State Shirley Weber a password-protected thumb drive naming more than 20,000 "likely noncitizens," identified through a multiagency USCIS and Homeland Security Investigations review of state voter and federal citizenship data. The 15-page complaint accuses California of violating the Constitution's supremacy clause by knowingly sending and counting mail ballots from likely noncitizens, and asks the court to order the state to set aside such ballots until citizenship is verified. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the alleged practice "state-facilitated voter fraud."

Logan's office declined to open the drive, citing data privacy protocols, while Weber argued federal officials provided insufficient evidence. Governor Gavin Newsom called the lawsuit a "sad, desperate attempt" by President Trump to suppress California voters weeks before Election Day. The suit is the administration's first direct attempt to block vote-counting, following a broader push including a blocked citizenship-verification mandate, a mail-voting executive order partly struck down by the Supreme Court, and roughly 30 similar voter-roll suits against other states with limited success. Senate Democrats have demanded oversight briefings on the administration's election-interference efforts.