Gov. Gavin Newsom urged federal judges to reject attempts to seize California ballots
California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged federal judges to resist possible Trump administration ballot seizures before certification, warning federal agents may seek search warrants to disrupt lawful counting. He called the Justice Department’s criminal-liability theory baseless. Separately, a federal judge ordered the department to stop threatening state and local California election officials with prosecution for defying its demands.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked federal judges to resist any effort by Trump administration agents to seize ballots before election results are certified, warning that search warrants could interfere with lawful counting. In his letter, Newsom said the Justice Department’s continued pursuit of what he called a baseless theory of criminal liability raised grave concerns. The administration alleges that more than 20,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in California; state officials and many experts have questioned the validity of its list. The administration has also sought to block counting ballots from voters it says could be noncitizens. Separately, a federal judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to stop threatening prosecution of California state and local election officials who refuse its election-related demands. The administration has sued roughly 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking unredacted voter rolls.
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Verifier’s note
Devdiscourse reports that a federal judge ordered the Justice Department to stop threatening prosecution of California election officials who do not comply with its election-related demands. This matches the proposed event, and the reports are recent.