Rob Bonta

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 Justice Department is urging a federal judge to rule quickly on its bid to stop California from counting ballots cast by people on a federal list of more than 20,000 potential noncitizens. The request came after Secretary of State Shirley Weber and L.A. County registrar Dean Logan did not review the list on the DOJ's timeline; California's Attorney General Rob Bonta has moved to dismiss the suit, calling it legally weak. Federal officials separately charged 28 legal permanent residents with voter fraud-related offenses this week. In a related case, a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security from using its own noncitizen-voter list, finding it unreliable. State audits show noncitizen voting is rare.

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.

San Diego County election officials say voting is proceeding securely and on pace with typical midterm turnout, with tens of thousands of ballots already cast three weeks before Election Day. County Registrar of Voters Shawn Brom said the system remains safe and accessible for both mail-in and in-person voting at designated centers.

The reassurance comes amid broader tension between state and federal officials over election administration. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office sued the Trump administration after it attempted to restrict mail-in voting weeks before the election, and the Supreme Court subsequently ruled against that effort. Bonta said he expects the election to proceed without federal interference. The Trump administration has said it does not plan to deploy ICE agents at polling sites. San Diego County officials noted they are coordinating with local law enforcement to address voter intimidation and other potential irregularities, aiming to ensure the midterm election remains fair and free of disruption.

California's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco broke state election law when he seized more than 650,000 ballots from the county's registrar of voters earlier this year, and broke it again by defying Attorney General Rob Bonta's order to reverse course. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote that state law mandates ballots remain in the custody of election officials, rejecting Bianco's argument that a search warrant justified the seizure. The court ordered Bianco to return the ballots and end his investigation pending review by Bonta's office. A second ruling affirmed the attorney general's constitutional authority to directly supervise sheriffs, rejecting Bianco's claim that such oversight is merely advisory.

Bianco seized the ballots after a November 2025 special election on redistricting, spurred by activists alleging discrepancies later attributed to misread preliminary data. In response, California enacted two new laws making it a felony to seize ballots or voting machines before certification. Bianco has said his investigation will continue regardless of the ruling.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta reached a settlement allowing the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to proceed, ending a 12-state antitrust challenge, but the deal has drawn criticism from within the Democratic coalition itself. Sources say Gov. Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Karen Bass and gubernatorial front-runner Xavier Becerra pressured Bonta to settle, while attorneys general in New York and Connecticut wanted stronger concessions before ultimately signing on. Paramount agreed to production commitments, spending on U.S. film production, preserving its California lots, and an oversight board meant to protect editorial independence at CNN and CBS News, both folded into the merger under CEO David Ellison.

Critics, including Sen. Cory Booker and the Writers Guild of America, argue the deal is too weak and that Ellison's threat to relocate Paramount out of California influenced the outcome. Some attorneys general called it only a partial win, while Bonta defended it as enforceable, with divestment penalties if Paramount fails to comply.

Democratic attorneys general in California and New York filed separate lawsuits against the Trump administration over deals to buy back offshore wind leases, part of a broader push to curb wind energy development in favor of fossil fuels. California's suit, led by Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenges the cancellation of an Invenergy project off the state's coast. New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a seven-state coalition — including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont — against the same Invenergy deal and a separate agreement ending Bluepoint Wind's project off New York and New Jersey.

The disputed deals would pay energy companies roughly $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds to cancel projects, part of nearly $4 billion pledged nationwide since the Interior Department began buybacks in March after courts blocked Trump's earlier executive actions against offshore wind. In exchange, companies are redirecting investment toward fossil fuel and geothermal projects, which Interior Secretary Doug Burgum framed as a shift toward "dependable" energy. James called the arrangements illegal and warned they would raise electricity costs by limiting states' ability to expand power supply; Bonta echoed the concern at a Climate Week event, calling the legal fights "avoidable" distractions from climate action. The lawsuits add to a growing string of legal battles between Democratic-led states and the administration over energy and climate policy.