---
title: "Federal Appeals Court Rejects Trump Administration's Request on Noncitizen Ballots"
url: https://newscentral.site/federal-appeals-court-rejects-trump-administration-s-request/
language: en
publisher: "News Central Site"
section: "Politics"
published: 2026-10-30T20:09:47.000Z
updated: 2026-10-31T01:46:17.397Z
id: 96e5d96b-5670-41c0-8bda-99d22bb32658
source: "NBC News Politics https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/appeals-court-rejects-justice-department-noncitizen-ballots-rcna606604"
attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/federal-appeals-court-rejects-trump-administration-s-request/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story."
---

# Federal Appeals Court Rejects Trump Administration's Request on Noncitizen Ballots

A federal appeals court has rejected a bid by the Trump administration to segregate thousands of alleged noncitizen ballots in California, citing concerns about the government's motives and timing.

A federal appeals court has dealt another blow to the Trump administration's bid to segregate thousands of alleged noncitizen ballots in California, rejecting its latest request on Friday. The ruling marks the second time in a week that the court has turned down the administration's attempt to intervene in the case.

The 2-1 decision was handed down by a panel of judges from the US Circuit Court of Appeals, with majority judges Mark Bennett and Gabriel Sanchez finding against the government's bid. In contrast, dissenting judge Patrick Bumatay argued that the remedy proposed by the government was "modest and should have been allowed to proceed.

The case stems from an earlier suit filed by the administration, which demanded that California election officials set aside over 20,000 ballots potentially sent by noncitizens.

A federal appeals court has again rejected a bid by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to segregate over 20,000 ballots in California allegedly sent by noncitizens. The ruling came after the administration requested relief from an earlier decision that blocked its plan to set aside these ballots.

The judge questioned the credibility of the DOJ's methodology for identifying potential noncitizen voters, citing inconsistencies and a lack of transparency. He noted that the Department of Homeland Security had estimated in July that there were approximately 200,000 noncitizens registered to vote in California, which is significantly higher than the number claimed by the DOJ.

The judge also pointed out similar discrepancies in Nevada, where the administration initially alleged 15,903 voters were noncitizens before reducing the number to 6,218 and then further to just 185 after a manual review.

The appeals court has once again rejected the Justice Department's bid to segregate over 20,000 alleged noncitizen ballots in California, citing concerns about the government's motives and timing.

Nevada officials have confirmed that all 185 individuals initially identified as noncitizens were actually citizens, further eroding the administration's claims. The appeals court judges also criticized the Justice Department for waiting until too close to the election to intervene, labeling this a self-constructed emergency". The decision sends a clear message that elections must be governed by facts and constitutional principles, not political interference or voter suppression.

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Source: [NBC News Politics](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/appeals-court-rejects-justice-department-noncitizen-ballots-rcna606604)  
Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/federal-appeals-court-rejects-trump-administration-s-request/