Appeals court rejects DOJ's bid to set aside California mail ballots

🗞️ Story file #951

Appeals court rejects DOJ's bid to set aside California mail ballots

Oct 25, 10 PM ET to Oct 28, 6 AM ET · 2 outlets not rated for lean

22outlets carried it
🫏7 · 4 · 9🐘left · center · right
2.3 dayson the front pages
21front pages at once, at its peak
31 minof TV captions
13radio newscasts
9people retold it online
6 of 7parts of a saga

👣 How this story traveled: from the front pages that broke it, out through TV, radio and the shows, into what people retold and what fact-checkers examined, and on into the saga it is part of. Everything here is matched to the story by our tools, so a link can be wrong; the trackers' pages say how each is made.

Oct 25, 10 PM ETfirst on a front page: Newsmax
Oct 25, 10 PM ETfirst on the radio: ABC News Update
Oct 26, 8 AM ETretold online by 9 people
Oct 26, 9 PM ETfirst on TV: MSNOW
Oct 27, 1 AM ETpeak: on 21 front pages

the front pages that ran it, hour by hour

Front pages carrying it at each hourly run, Oct 25, 10 PM to Oct 28, 6 AM ET (peak 21), by the outlets' lean: left · center · right · not rated

Who carried it and when: each outlet in the order it picked the story up, a bar for each headline from when we first saw it on the front page to when we last did, in the outlet's lean color (dashed: not rated); a dot marks a new headline. Beneath, its captions on TV, the radio newscasts that carried it (bigger: the lead) and when people were found retelling it. Hover for details.

📡 wire copy: 1 outlet ran the Reuters headline nearly word for word (HuffPost)

📌 linked by aggregators: Google News Political Wire

🗣️ only one side says: 🫏 court declines

✏️ 13 outlets ran more than one headline on it (reworded, or a follow-up)

ABC News (5 wordings): “Appeals court hears arguments in Trump admin's voting suit against California” → “Appeals court declines to step in on Trump administration's California voting case”
CNN (4 wordings): “Judges skeptical of Trump administration effort to force California to set aside mail ballots” → “Appeals court rejects Trump DOJ demand to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots The administration says those ballots were sent to people who may be noncitizens”
Independent Journal Review (2 wordings): “Appeals Court to Hear California Ballot Dispute” → “Appeals Court Skeptical of California Ballot Bid”
Just the News (2 wordings): “Federal appeals court appears skeptical of DOJ lawsuit over ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens” → “Appeals court tosses DOJ bid to force California to disregard ballots from alleged noncitizen voters”
Los Angeles Times (2 wordings): “9th Circuit panel questions basis for feds’ request to block 20,000 California ballots” → “9th Circuit denies feds’ appeal over 20,000 ballots; district court hearing to proceed”
Newsmax (3 wordings): “9th Circuit Questions DOJ Bid to Block Calif. Ballots” → “Court Rejects Trump Bid to Block California Mail Ballots”
Red State (3 wordings): “BREAKING 9th Circuit Rules on Trump DOJ's Appeal Regarding CA Mail Ballots to Likely Noncitizens Jennifer Van Laar” → “BREAKING Election Integrity 9th Circuit Rules on Trump DOJ's Appeal Regarding CA Mail Ballots to Likely Noncitizens Jennifer Van Laar”
Reuters (2 wordings): “US appeals court appears skeptical of Trump DOJ's lawsuit over California voter rolls” → “Trump administration loses push to block California votes from alleged noncitizens”
Straight Arrow News (2 wordings): “Appeals court questions DOJ’s challenge to California mail-in ballots” → “Appeals court rejects Trump administration push to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots”
The Epoch Times (2 wordings): “Appeals Court Raises Doubt Over Trump Admin’s Ballot Lawsuit Against California” → “Appeals Court Rejects DOJ’s Challenge to Suspected Noncitizen Ballots in California”
The Gateway Pundit (2 wordings): “DEVELOPING: Ninth Circuit to Rule on DOJ’s Bid to Block 20,000 Illegal California Votes From Being Counted – Panel Reportedly Skeptical of DOJ” → “BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Court Dismisses Trump DOJ’s Effort to Force California to Remove 20,000 Ballots Given to Non-Citizens”
The Washington Sun (3 wordings): “Appeals Court Questions Trump Administration’s Bid to Block 20,000 California Ballots” → “Appeals Court Rejects DOJ’s Emergency Appeal Over California Ballots”
Washington Examiner (3 wordings): “Appeals court rejects DOJ’s expedited bid to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots” → “Appeals court rejects DOJ’s bid to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots”

Every outlet's first headline (22), left to right by AllSides rating

HuffPost Trump Administration Loses Push To Block California Votes From Alleged Noncitizens Oct 27, 1 AM ET
ABC News Appeals court hears arguments in Trump admin's voting suit against California Oct 25, 8 PM ET
CBS News Court dismisses DOJ's request to force California to set aside ballots Oct 26, 7 PM ET
CNN Judges skeptical of Trump administration effort to force California to set aside mail ballots Oct 25, 9 PM ET
Los Angeles Times 9th Circuit panel questions basis for feds’ request to block 20,000 California ballots Oct 25, 8 PM ET
New York Times Appeals Court Declines to Intervene in California Ballot Lawsuit Oct 26, 8 PM ET
Yahoo News Appeals court rejects DOJ's bid to quickly force California to set aside ballots Oct 26, 10 PM ET
Bloomberg DOJ Bid for Fast Ruling in California Voting Case Rejected Oct 26, 7 PM ET
Reuters US appeals court appears skeptical of Trump DOJ's lawsuit over California voter rolls Oct 25, 6 PM ET
Scripps News America Votes Court appears skeptical of Trump administration's California ballot lawsuit AP via Scripps News Group Oct 26, 11 AM ET
Straight Arrow News Appeals court questions DOJ’s challenge to California mail-in ballots Oct 26, 8 AM ET
Just the News Federal appeals court appears skeptical of DOJ lawsuit over ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens Oct 26, 9 AM ET
The Epoch Times Appeals Court Raises Doubt Over Trump Admin’s Ballot Lawsuit Against California Oct 26, 11 AM ET
The Washington Times Appeals court rejects Trump bid to block 20,000 ballots of suspected noncitizens Oct 26, 10 PM ET
Washington Examiner Appeals court rejects DOJ’s expedited bid to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots Oct 26, 8 PM ET
IJR Appeals Court to Hear California Ballot Dispute Oct 25, 2 PM ET
Newsmax 9th Circuit Questions DOJ Bid to Block Calif. Ballots Oct 25, 10 PM ET
Red State BREAKING 9th Circuit Rules on Trump DOJ's Appeal Regarding CA Mail Ballots to Likely Noncitizens Jennifer Van Laar Oct 26, 8 PM ET
The Blaze 9th Circuit rejects Trump DOJ's emergency motion over 20,000 questionable voters in California Oct 27, 5 PM ET
The Gateway Pundit DEVELOPING: Ninth Circuit to Rule on DOJ’s Bid to Block 20,000 Illegal California Votes From Being Counted – Panel Reportedly Skeptical of DOJ Oct 25, 8 PM ET
Talking Points Memo 9th Circuit Rejects Trump Appeal in CA Election Case Oct 26, 7 PM ET
The Washington Sun Appeals Court Questions Trump Administration’s Bid to Block 20,000 California Ballots Oct 25, 9 PM ET

TV, radio, and the shows that talked about it

📺 On TV

CNN18 min

MSNOW11 min

Fox News60 s

COURT REJECTS DOJ DEMAND TO SET ASIDE SOME CALIFORNIA BALLOTS CNN, 7 min
JUDGE HEARS ARGUMENTS OVER DOJ CALIFORNIA BALLOTS LAWSUIT CNN, 4 min
TRUMP ADMIN LOSES APPEAL OVER CALIFORNIA BALLOTS MSNOW, 3 min
NOW: JUDGE HEARS ARGUMENTS IN DOJ'S ATTEMPT TO SET ASIDE CA BALLOTS CNN, 3 min
PANEL DECLINES BID TO BLOCK 20,000 CALIFORNIA BALLOTS MSNOW, 3 min
TRUMP DOJ GOES AFTER BALLOTS IN WASHINGTON STATE MSNOW, 2 min
COURT REJECTS DOJ BID TO BLOCK 20,000 CALIFORNIA BALLOTS. Ben Ginsberg | Republican Election Lawyer CNN, 82 s
COURT REJECTS DOJ DEMAND THAT CALIFORNIA SET ASIDE 20,000 VOTES FROM PEOPLE ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS COULD BE NON-CITIZENS CNN, 66 s

📻 On the radio

ABC News Update, Oct 27, 8:32 AM ET: story 2 of 5
NPR News Now, Oct 27, 3:10 AM ET: story 5 of 7
NPR News Now, Oct 27, 1:10 AM ET: story 3 of 8
NPR News Now, Oct 26, 11:09 PM ET: story 4 of 5
NPR News Now, Oct 26, 10:10 PM ET: the lead
NPR News Now, Oct 26, 5:10 PM ET: story 2 of 8
NPR News Now, Oct 26, 8:10 AM ET: story 4 of 7
NPR News Now, Oct 26, 4:09 AM ET: the lead
ABC News Update, Oct 26, 3:32 AM ET: story 3 of 3
ABC News Update, Oct 26, 1:32 AM ET: story 3 of 3
ABC News Update, Oct 25, 11:32 PM ET: story 3 of 3
NPR News Now, Oct 25, 11:09 PM ET: the lead

🎙️ Shows, investigators, satire

🎙️ 📺 MeidasTouch

what people online made of it

🧩 How it's being told

The stories under this news, from our motif index, and who told each: the shows we follow by their lean, people online, fact-checkers. A story people tell, not a claim that it's true; claims are matched to this story by our tools, so a link can be wrong.

🧩 Voter fraud 🧶 online
↔️ its answer: Voter suppression, Solution in search of a problem
“A federal appeals court expressed skepticism toward the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to set aside 20,000 California mail-in ballots suspected of being sent to noncitizens.”

🧶 Retold online

A federal appeals court expressed skepticism toward the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to set aside 20,000 California mail-in ballots suspected of being sent to noncitizens. Oct 26: told by 9 people; told before on Oct 19, Oct 17, Oct 16, Oct 15
🦋 Widely seen on Bluesky

🦋 a post on Bluesky · 47 likes, 9 reposts
🦋 a post on Bluesky · 42 likes, 13 reposts

On Folklore: the latest in full, with their motifs and who is telling them.

🗣️ names in it: California 9th Circuit Trump administration

what the fact-checkers looked into

🧐 No fact-checker has taken it on yet.

the running story it belongs to

🧵 California noncitizen ballot dispute

DOJ warns California election officials of legal risks for counting suspected noncitizen ballots
Oct 17, 9 PM ET
DOJ sues California over 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters
Oct 14, 11 AM ET
DOJ charges 28 noncitizens in California voter fraud case
Oct 19, 2 PM ET
Justice Department seeks court order over alleged noncitizen voters in California
Oct 21, 12 PM ET
Judge questions doj's claims of noncitizens on California voter rolls
Oct 23, 9 PM ET
Appeals court rejects DOJ's bid to set aside California mail ballots (this story)
Oct 25, 10 PM ET
DOJ charges 48 noncitizens in election-related crimes
Oct 26, 6 PM ET