Federal appeals court declines to rule on Justice Department bid to set aside California ballots of alleged noncitizens

A US appeals court has ruled against the Trump administration's Department of Justice, denying its request to block California from counting mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections.

The DOJ had previously instructed California counties to set aside and verify specific ballots that the administration claimed belonged to noncitizen voters, sparking a significant voting rights dispute.