Appeals Court Denies Trump's Bid to Block California Ballot Counts An appeals court has denied a bid by the Trump administration to block the counting of 20,000 ballots in California that the Justice Department alleges were cast by noncitizens. The ruling sets up a legal showdown on Tuesday in front of a federal district judge. An appeals court declined to rule on whether California elections officials can count 20,000 ballots that the Justice Department alleges belong to noncitizen voters. This sets up a legal showdown on Tuesday. Noncitizen voting is a focus of Trump's political messaging, but available data indicates it is rare. Judges primarily ruled it was premature for an appeals court to get involved, but wrote separate concurrences saying they wouldn't support setting aside ballots at this late date. Although Trump administration sued California officials over the list of 20,000 names, a district judge had scheduled a hearing on the issue, before the 9th Circuit Court intervened.Courts Reject Federal Emergency Vote AppealThe federal government appealed because of a time-sensitive emergency that would prevent the further counting of votes. The appeals court rejected that argument, saying the federal government 'failed to allow the district court adequate opportunity to consider' their initial request to sequester the ballots in question. Judges also argued that setting ballots aside would usher in electoral chaos and that the federal government's arguments weren't supported by the law.One judge dissented, arguing that federal law bars noncitizens from voting and compels California to vet the potentially illegal ballots before they are counted. The failure to do so, he wrote, would cause irreparable harm to the election. California's attorney general called the ruling a 'welcome speed bump' against Trump's attacks. The decision sends the case back to a federal judge in Southern California, who will hear arguments from both sides on Tuesday.