The Trump administration has suffered a series of court defeats as it sought to intervene in state-run elections, with the Supreme Court rejecting an emergency request on the eve of Election Day. The cases were part of a broader effort to change how states administer voting, prompted by President Trump’s claims that the midterm elections could be affected by voter fraud. The source reports little evidence of widespread problems.
On Monday, the administration asked the Supreme Court to require California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots that officials alleged had been provided to noncitizens. The justices denied the request within hours and did not ask the opposing parties to submit briefs.
The decision followed another Supreme Court rejection several weeks earlier, when the justices turned down the administration’s plan for the U.S. Postal Service to screen mail-in ballots. The proposal would have changed how Americans vote by mail.
Federal judges also blocked other administration initiatives in the final 24 hours before Election Day. These included an effort to centralize data on eligible voters and a request to provide California with federal data that officials said identified noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls.
The administration is still appealing several cases. Its efforts may also have contributed to voter doubts and confusion about the election’s validity, despite the legal setbacks.
Sources: The New York Times Politics.