On Wednesday, Judge Araceli Martinez‑Olguin in Oakland ordered the Trump administration to suspend its investigations into noncitizen voter registration across nine states, citing unreliable data and intimidation concerns.
The investigation, dubbed the "Unlawful Voter Initiative," relied on lists compiled from state records, publicly available data and commercial vendors, which Martinez‑Olguin described as "voluminous and unreliable."
DHS defended the effort as targeting "aliens who vote and dilute the votes of U.S. citizens," while the unions argued the lists were built on flawed data and had already chilled voter‑rights volunteers.
The ruling is temporarily on hold until Friday to allow the administration to file an appeal, but the halt will remain in place through the November 3 election.
The case was brought by the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United and Voto Latino Foundation, following a whistle‑blower report by Senators Chuck Schumer and Alex Padilla.