联邦上诉法院驳回了司法部的紧急请求，拒绝搁置与特朗普政府怀疑为非公民的加利福尼亚州2万多名选民相关的邮寄选票。
A federal appeals court rejected the Justice Department's emergency bid to set aside mail ballots tied to more than 20,000 California voters Trump administration suspects are noncitizens.
为何重要：这项2比1的裁决在中期选举前几天维持了加利福尼亚州的选举程序不变，法官们援引了对司法部选民名单的怀疑以及剥夺合格选民投票权的风险。
Why it matters: The 2–1 ruling leaves California's election procedures intact just days before the midterms, with the judges citing doubts about the DOJ's voter list and the risk of disenfranchising eligible voters.
- 该裁决对司法部构成重大挫折，后者在加利福尼亚州存在大规模选民舞弊这一未经证实的指控上变本加厉。
• The ruling is a major setback for a DOJ that has doubled down on unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the Golden State. What they're saying:
各方表态：多数派法官引用下级法院的认定，指出司法部识别疑似非公民的程序“不可信”，从而削弱了其主张。
The majority cited the lower court's finding that the DOJ's process for identifying suspected noncitizens was "not credible," undermining its claims.
- 多数派引用地区法院的认定写道：“批准[美国]的请求将引发灾难性变革，颠覆选举管理。”
• "Granting [the United States]'s request would provoke catastrophic change, upending the administration of the election," it wrote, quoting the district court's finding.
- “批准美国所请求的救济存在实质性风险，会导致剥夺选举权，并可能危及[洛杉矶]县的整个选举。”
• "There is a material risk that granting the United States its requested relief would result in disenfranchisement and could jeopardize [Los Angeles] County's entire election."
另一方观点：第九巡回法院法官帕特里克·布马泰持异议，认为计算非公民的选票会稀释公民的投票权力。
The other side: Ninth U.S. Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented, arguing that counting votes from noncitizens dilutes the power of citizens.
- “联邦政府提出了一个温和的补救措施——阻止加利福尼亚州将公民和疑似非公民的选票混在一起。这一解决方案不会取消任何选票，但会留出时间核实疑似非公民的资格。”
• "The federal government proposes a modest remedy—stopping California from mixing the ballots of citizens and suspected noncitizens. This solution would not cancel any vote but would allow time to verify the eligibility of suspected noncitizens."
- 白宫和司法部未立即回应Axios的置评请求。
• The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
快速回顾：司法部于10月中旬起诉加利福尼亚州，因该州拒将其声称发送给非公民的选票分离出来。
Catch up quick: The DOJ sued California in mid October for refusing to segregate the ballots it asserted were sent to noncitizens.
- 地区法院驳回了禁令请求，认定司法部提起诉讼所依据的联邦法律并未取代现有州法。
• A district court denied the request for an injunction, deciding that the federal law the DOJ was relying on to bring the suit did not supersede existing state law.
- 特朗普政府提出上诉，从而促成了周五的裁决。政府现在可以再次向最高法院提出上诉。
• The Trump administration appealed, leading to Friday's decision. The administration can now appeal again to the Supreme Court.
背景：特朗普在整个年度里持续提出关于大规模选民欺诈的虚假指控，一些选举官员和投票权团体认为，这可能会破坏对美国选举的信任。
Zoom out: Trump has continued to make false claims of widespread voter fraud throughout the year, which some election officials and voting rights groups argue could undermine trust in America's elections.
- 特朗普对地区法院周四上午驳回司法部论点的裁决作出反应，声称如果加利福尼亚州的选举“诚实”，且“诚实地计票”，他在竞选总统时本将“以巨大优势”赢得该州。
• Trump reacted to the district court's decision to reject the DOJ's arguments Thursday morning, claiming if elections in California "were honest," with an "honest vote count," he would have won the state "by a lot" when he ran for president.
- 特朗普未为该说法提供任何证据。
• Trump provided no evidence for the claim.