The U.S. Justice Department dismisses a lawsuit seeking to force California to set aside about 20,000 mail-in ballots the federal government alleged were sent to noncitizens. Multiple outlets report that the move follows repeated court rejections of emergency requests and comes ahead of a scheduled proceeding involving a special master.
Several stories say the effort had already been undercut by a prior U.S. Supreme Court action before Election Day. Coverage describes that DOJ asks to dismiss its own case after failing to persuade courts, including the Supreme Court, to require California to verify that ballots were cast by U.S. citizens. Outlets broadly agree on the ballot count and the central dispute over alleged noncitizen voter status.
While most reporting focuses on the legal withdrawal itself, the emphasis varies: some highlight the timing relative to elections and upcoming hearings, while others stress the earlier Supreme Court rejection and the reason the election process is too far along. One or more sources also frame the story around which courts denied the government’s requests.
