DOJ Drops California Ballot Suit
The Justice Department ended its bid to segregate disputed California ballots.
November 7, 2026 · Updated 1:06am ET
HuffPostU.S. Justice Department Drops Bid To Force California To Set Aside Disputed Ballots
CBS NewsDOJ moves to drop its lawsuit asking California to set aside alleged noncitizen ballots
Just the NewsJustice Department drops attempt to set aside California ballots it believes belong to noncitizens
The New York TimesJustice Dept. Dismisses Suit Against California Over 20,000 Ballots
Associated PressUS Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots
Breitbart NewsUS Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots
MS NOWDOJ voluntarily drops California ballot lawsuit
NBC NewsJustice Department drops bid to force California to set aside ballots from alleged noncitizens
Los Angeles TimesFeds move to dismiss case over 20,000 California ballots after Supreme Court denied appeal
The HillDOJ dismisses lawsuit over California’s 20,000 disputed ballots
Boston GlobeJustice Dept. dismisses suit against California over 20,000 ballots
Raw StoryTrump DOJ waves white flag in blue state ballot war after Supreme Court smackdown
50%
Left · 6
33%
Center · 4
17%
Right · 2
Pano rates the coverage Mostly Left.
What happened
- The Justice Department on Friday dropped its lawsuit seeking to make California set aside roughly 20,000 ballots from voters it alleged were noncitizens.
- Prosecutors said the ballots would be mixed with others before a Nov. 13 hearing, making the separation they sought impossible.
- California officials said the federal list of suspected noncitizens was outdated and included eligible voters.
- A federal judge and an appeals court rejected the request to separate the ballots, and the Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal before Election Day.
- California continues counting ballots, while the department faces separate lawsuits over its use of the list and says it will pursue suspected election-law violations through other cases.
How the left told it
Left-leaning outlets largely framed the dismissal as a defeat for the Trump administration after repeated court setbacks. The New York Times called it a “failed effort” that the Supreme Court “soundly rejected,” while HuffPost emphasized the disputed voter list and MS NOW explained why prosecutors said relief was no longer available.
How the right told it
Right-leaning outlets framed the dismissal as the end of an effort to separate disputed ballots after court setbacks. Breitbart carried AP reporting that highlighted California’s objections to the voter list; Just the News emphasized prosecutors’ explanation that the ballots would be “commingled” before the hearing.
California Ballot Lawsuit
Part of the storyline · Storyline →- Nov 7DOJ Drops California Ballot Suit (this story)Mostly Left
- Nov 6DOJ Drops California Ballot SuitMostly Left
