A judge has ruled against former president Donald Trump's attempt to require California to segregate ballots cast by noncitizens. The decision, issued by a federal judge in San Francisco, halted the Trump administration's effort to enforce the policy, which aimed to separate ballots from noncitizens for verification purposes.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by California officials who argued that the policy violated the state's voting rights. The judge found that the administration had not provided sufficient justification for the measure, which was part of broader efforts to scrutinize voter eligibility. The order applies to all federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, which had been tasked with implementing the policy.
This decision marks a significant setback for Trump's administration, which had previously pushed for stricter voter verification measures. The policy was first proposed in 2018 as part of a broader strategy to combat election fraud, though critics argued it disproportionately targeted minority voters. The ruling also aligns with recent judicial trends that have increasingly scrutinized such policies under the Voting Rights Act.
