Protecting Californians from the U.S. Department of Justice's Attempt to Disenfranchise Voters (United States of America v. California)
At a Glance
Campaign Legal Center, Democracy Defenders Fund, and the NAACP Office of General Counsel, on behalf of LULAC, the NAACP, NAACP California/Hawaii State Conference, and NAACP Los Angeles Branch moved to intervene in a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit seeking to potentially block the counting of ballots of more than 20,000 California voters. The groups are defending the freedom to vote in the 2026 midterm elections and arguing that DOJ lacks the authority to force California to disenfranchise eligible voters based on unreliable data and in violation of state and federal law.
Back to topAbout this Case
Since the beginning of his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration have renewed their efforts to undermine Americans’ freedom to vote. Now, the Trump administration is attempting to disenfranchise thousands of voters with voting already underway for the 2026 midterm elections.
On October 14, 2026, the DOJ sent a letter to Los Angeles County along with a thumb drive that contained a list of over 20,000 voters that the DOJ alleges are ineligible to vote.
The DOJ demanded that Los Angeles County segregate and refuse to count over 20,000 Angelenos’ ballots, despite the fact that DOJ provided no credible evidence that these voters are ineligible to vote and did not even explain the data sources or methods that they used to create this list.
On October 15, 2026, the DOJ sued the state of California for refusing to comply with their orders, despite the fact that states, not the federal government, are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of voter registration rolls, and DOJ cannot compel California to disenfranchise more than 20,000 of its own citizens based on a list created using faulty data and questionable methodologies.
Campaign Legal Center, our co-counsel and our clients filed a motion to intervene in this case as defendants to ensure all eligible Californians' ballots are counted according to law.