Politics · Published October 26, 2026 at 7:52 PM CDT
Appeals Court Rejects DOJ Bid to Set Aside California Ballots
What everyone agrees on
- A federal appeals court panel voted 2-1 to deny the Trump administration's request.
- The DOJ sought to force California to set aside about 20,000 mail-in ballots.
- The DOJ claims the ballots may have been cast by noncitizens.
- The case was sent back to a lower court for further proceedings.
Each fact above was reported by outlets on the left, center and right.
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets · 5
Left-leaning outlets emphasized the court's rejection of the administration's request and included Newsom's description of the lawsuit as an attack on democracy.
Center-leaning outlets · 4
Center-leaning outlets focused on the procedural basis for the ruling, noting the court found it lacked jurisdiction and that the case returns to the trial judge.
Right-leaning outlets · 3
Right-leaning outlets emphasized the DOJ's claims about noncitizen voters and highlighted details about the state's handling of the review process.
Still disputed
- Right-leaning outlets reported claims about California missing a 48-hour deadline to review voter names, which other sides did not mention.
Read the original reporting
- Left ABC News Appeals court rejects Trump admin's voting lawsuit against California Free to read
- Left CBS News Court dismisses DOJ's request to force California to set aside ballots Free to read
- Left CNN Appeals court rejects Trump DOJ demand to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots A few free articles a month
- Left The Guardian (US) Court blocks bid by Trump DoJ to stop California from counting mail-in ballots Free to read
- Left The New York Times Appeals Court Declines to Intervene in California Ballot Lawsuit A few free articles a month
- Center Bloomberg DOJ Bid for Fast Ruling in California Voting Case Rejected Paywall
- Center Reuters Trump administration loses push to block California votes from alleged noncitizens A few free articles a month
- Center The Hill Appeals court rules against DOJ in California ballot fight Free to read
- Center UPI Appeals court rejects Justice Department demand to remove mail ballots Free to read
- Right New York Post California judges deal huge blow to DOJ’s bid to strip 20,000 voters from next week’s elections — despite stunning court revelations Free to read
- Right The Washington Times Appeals court rejects Trump bid to block 20,000 ballots of suspected noncitizens Free to read
- Right Washington Examiner Appeals court rejects DOJ’s expedited bid to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots Free to read
See a mistake?
A simple way to report a wrong or missing fact, with no sign-up, is coming soon. Every correction will be listed publicly.
This page was written by AI from each outlet's headline and short description, following our published rules. Always check the original reporting.