U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson, based in California, issued an eight-page order late Friday barring the Trump administration from threatening, intimidating or coercing state and local election officials or workers. The order specifically prohibits demands that officials halt processing or segregate the ballots of any registered voter solely because the administration alleges the voter is ineligible. It remains in effect through Nov. 16, nearly two weeks after Election Day.

In her ruling, Thompson wrote that high-ranking Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security officials have engaged in a campaign to intimidate, threaten and coerce officials and employees administering the 2026 midterm election. She wrote that although the government says its actions are meant to halt unlawful voting by noncitizens, they are likely to interfere with election administration and disenfranchise lawful voters. A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting and that enforcing the law is the department's job.

The order follows a push by the administration to make states, including California and Washington, separate out ballots it says may have been cast by noncitizens. The Justice Department sent letters to election officials in 57 of California's 58 counties, directing them to cooperate with investigations or face scrutiny themselves. An Oct. 22 letter to San Bernardino County from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli attached a list of 1,133 "likely aliens," asked for Social Security numbers and driver's license or state ID data within 48 hours, and requested that vote-by-mail ballots of individuals whose citizenship could not be confirmed be segregated, not canceled. Essayli has also warned that any election official who knowingly processes a noncitizen's ballot is exposing themselves to legal jeopardy.

The ruling came the same day the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected, 2-1, the Justice Department's request that California set aside disputed ballots. The administration alleges the state sent ballots to about 20,000 people who may not be citizens, while California officials say the list is highly unreliable and likely includes many citizens. The panel wrote that there is no feasible way to identify and segregate specific individuals' ballots without potentially catastrophic effects on the entire system. The majority opinion came from Judge Mark J. Bennett, appointed by President Trump, and Judge Gabriel P. Sanchez, appointed by former President Joe Biden. A district court judge had denied the request Wednesday.

The disputes carry immediate consequences as voting nears its end. Millions of Californians have already voted, and hundreds of thousands of ballots have been processed, which election officials say cannot be matched back to individual voters. The Washington case remains pending, and the Thompson order sets limits on federal pressure on election workers through the period when ballots are counted and results certified.