Appeals court rejects Trump administration push to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots

A federal appeals court has rejected the Justice Department's emergency bid to set aside thousands

of mail-in ballots in California. In a two-to-one ruling, the judges said the appeals court didn't

have the authority to step in before a lower court had ruled. That court has a hearing scheduled for

this afternoon. The Justice Department wanted a faster decision, arguing that California should

set aside roughly 20,000 ballots from voters it suspects are not U.S. citizens. But the two judges

in the majority said the government was partly responsible for its own urgency

They called it a quote self-constructed emergency, pointing to the DOJ's delay in filing the

lawsuit and asking for an emergency order. California officials have disputed the

government's list, saying it includes people who appear to be U.S. citizens. The Justice

Department is also asking Washington state to set aside ballots for more than 400 registered

voters it suspects are non-citizens. Washington's Secretary of State says his office is reviewing

the request. And President Trump is now offering a million-dollar reward for tips about voter fraud

in next week's midterms or past elections, though he hasn't said where the money would come from

But he wrote on Truth Social that payments will be made upon the quote, arrest and conviction of those that created the fraud