Judge rejects Trump admin request for order to segregate 20,000 Calif. ballots

🔮 "Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch," U.S .District Judge David Carter wrote in his Wednesday order.

🔮 Bill Essayli, a controversial Trump-installed leader of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California, argued in the hearing that the administration was simply pushing for the state to be in compliance with federal law barring non-citizens from casting votes. But state officials and other legal advocates opposing the DOJ lawsuit countered that the litigation violated longstanding Constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections -- and could have chaotic consequences for the state in tabulating final vote counts in the weeks ahead.

🔮 I'm frustrated that I got it in the middle of the night, but I'm much more concerned that it's filed on the public record." The assistant U.S. attorney in the hearing, John Borchert, struggled repeatedly as Faruqui asked him to explain the government's conduct, which the judge said was unlike any case he had ever seen in the history of D.C.'s district court. Faruqui ultimately granted the request from Flores' and Benavides' attorneys to strike the amended complaint from the docket and said he would continue Tuesday's hearing to determine whether prosecutors established probable cause in their initial complaint filed last week. "Why today on this one case have you changed the entire history of how you charge cases?" Faruqui asked of Borchert.

🔮 She could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.

🔮 During a press conference on Monday, Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter attracted some scrutiny when he acknowledged that the administration's list likely included errors, and that "there may be some names on there who it turns out ultimately are citizens.

🔮 In a follow-up post resharing the letter, Trump wrote "They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!"

🔮 Former special counsel Jack Smith is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to defend his two criminal investigations of President Donald Trump amid growing calls from Republicans that Smith himself face prosecution by Trump's Justice Department.

🔮 The 2 1/2-hour hearing was heart wrenching as family members of the 13 service members killed in the 2021 attack took to the podium to tearfully plead for Judge Trenga to sentence Sharifullah to the maximum prison time of 20 years behind bars. "No justice will be enough to mend my broken heart," said Paula Knauss, the mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.

🔮 Judge indicates Trump's pressure campaign could permanently sink Reflecting Pool vandalism case Asked whether prosecutors were investigating Hearn, they said they weren't.