California governor warns federal judges of possible Trump administration interference in midterm elections

In brief

• California Governor Gavin Newsom warned federal judges that the Trump administration could try to seize ballots before the November congressional elections.
• The state is in litigation over federal demands for voter records tied to a criminal probe of alleged voting by non-citizens.
• A federal appeals court rejected the demand on Friday, and a separate judge barred the Justice Department from threatening California election officials.

Governor's warning to the courts

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has written to federal judges to alert them to the possibility that the administration of President Donald Trump might try to take hold of ballots and other voting material before the November congressional elections (Trump chce volební záznamy z Kalifornie, guvernér varuje před zásahem do voleb – iDNES.cz) (Guvernér zaslal soudcům varovný dopis. Obává se zásahů Trumpovy vlády do voleb – Seznam Zprávy). He fears that federal agencies could use court orders to reach into the counting of votes and the certification of results (Kalifornský guvernér varoval před zásahy Trumpovy vlády do voleb. Obává se zabavení hlasovacích lístků – iROZHLAS).

Dispute over voter records

The letter comes while the state is in litigation with the administration. Federal authorities have demanded California's voter records as part of a criminal investigation into alleged voting by people who are not U.S. citizens. On Friday, a federal appeals court rejected that demand, and the case could now reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Threats against election officials

A separate federal judge has barred the Justice Department from threatening criminal charges against California state and local election officials who refuse to meet federal demands related to the vote.

What comes next

The dispute is unresolved. Whether the appeals ruling will be taken up by the Supreme Court remains open, and the federal government's next steps in the investigation have not been reported.