Judge Halts Federal Voter-fraud Probes Across Nine States
WHO:
The Guardian - The Department of Homeland Security said it had “no plans to question or investigate people we believe to be U.S. citizens.”
The Guardian - U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in Oakland issued the ruling.
The Guardian - The lawsuit was filed by the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Voto Latino Foundation, San Francisco and Santa Clara County.
The Guardian - Beau Tremitiere, a lawyer representing the unions and voter group, said the ruling affirmed their position.
Fox News - A federal judge appointed by President Biden issued the ruling.
ABC News - President Donald Trump’s administration was ordered to halt the investigations.
Fox News - The Department of Homeland Security was conducting the probes.
Fox News - Armed federal agents were mentioned in connection with visits to people’s homes.
WHAT:
NY Post - The Trump administration appealed to the 9th Circuit in its lawsuit against California, seeking to stop the state from counting ballots cast by alleged noncitizen voters.
NY Post - Federal officials were fighting over a list of more than 20,000 people in California.
The Guardian - Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín’s ruling was placed on hold until Friday to allow the administration to appeal.
The Guardian - The investigation was known as the “Unlawful Voter Initiative.”
The Guardian - Chuck Schumer and Alex Padilla released a whistleblower report about the investigation.
AlterNet - Amanda Carpenter said the administration claimed 250,000 people were illegally registered to vote across California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.
AlterNet - Carpenter reported that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed nearly 16,000 noncitizens were on Nevada’s voter rolls; the claim “entirely evaporated under scrutiny.”
AlterNet - The Department of Justice charged 156 people with voting-related offenses during Trump’s second term.
AlterNet - Justin Levitt said efforts to overturn the midterm results would not succeed.
The Guardian - The ruling covered California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
The Guardian - Investigators were directed to review flagged individuals in no more than 12 minutes per person during a “surge” phase.
The Guardian - Legal filings said investigators were told to target naturalized citizens to check whether they had voted before becoming U.S. citizens.
The Guardian - The Department of Justice had sued 30 states that refused to provide detailed, unredacted voter-roll data and had lost each case so far.
Fox News - A federal judge blocked voter-fraud probes in battleground states.
Fox News - The judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to halt noncitizen-voting probes.
ABC News - A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations in nine states into whether noncitizens were registered to vote.
WHERE:
Fox News - The probes involved battleground states.
ABC News - The investigations covered nine states.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The judge said the investigations should remain halted until polls close on election day on 3 November.
WHY:
The Guardian - Martínez-Olguín said investigators relied on “voluminous and unreliable” data, with no federal database of residents’ citizenship status and a high likelihood of error.
The Guardian - She said investigation-related fears had chilled people from attending campaign events and working as poll monitors.
Fox News - The judge cited voter intimidation involving armed agents at people’s homes as a reason for halting the probes.
HOW:
The Guardian - Plaintiffs said some U.S. citizens felt they had been wrongly identified and investigated.
The Guardian - During the “surge” phase, investigators used lists drawn from state and local governments and publicly available information; where states withheld records, the administration sought “unreliable commercial versions” of voter-roll data.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 03:16 UTC)
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations into whether noncitizens were registered to vote in nine states. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the probes relied on voluminous, unreliable data, with no federal database confirming residents’ citizenship and a high risk of mistakes. She also cited fears that investigations could discourage people from attending campaign events or serving as poll monitors, as well as reports of armed agents visiting homes. The case was brought by nurses’ unions, a Latino voter group, and San Francisco and Santa Clara County. Investigators had been directed to review flagged people quickly, and legal filings said naturalized citizens were targeted to check whether they voted before becoming citizens. The ruling was temporarily put on hold to allow an appeal, but the judge said the investigations should remain halted until polls close on election day on 3 November.
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(UPDATED October 23, 2026 01:31 UTC)
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop Homeland Security investigations into whether noncitizens were registered to vote in nine states. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the probes relied on voluminous, unreliable data, with no federal database confirming residents’ citizenship and a high likelihood of mistakes. She also cited fears that investigations could discourage people from attending campaign events or serving as poll monitors, and concerns about armed agents visiting homes. The lawsuit was brought by unions, a voter advocacy group, and San Francisco and Santa Clara County. Court filings said investigators were told to review flagged people quickly and target naturalized citizens. The administration’s “Unlawful Voter Initiative” claimed widespread illegal registration, but plaintiffs said some citizens were wrongly identified. The ruling is on hold until Friday to allow an appeal; the investigations are to remain halted until polls close on 3 November.
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(UPDATED October 22, 2026 20:19 UTC)
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations into whether noncitizens were registered to vote in nine states. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued the ruling in Oakland, blocking probes by the Department of Homeland Security across California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. The lawsuit was brought by labor unions, a voter advocacy group, and San Francisco and Santa Clara County. The judge said investigators relied on “voluminous and unreliable” data, with no federal database confirming residents’ citizenship and a high likelihood of error. Court filings said investigators were instructed to review flagged people in no more than 12 minutes and target naturalized citizens to check whether they had voted before becoming citizens. Martínez-Olguín also cited fears that the probes could deter people from attending campaign events or serving as poll monitors, including amid reports of armed agents visiting homes.
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(UPDATED October 22, 2026 18:11 UTC)
A federal judge appointed by President Biden has blocked the Trump administration’s investigations into whether noncitizens were registered to vote, ordering the probes halted in nine states. The investigations, conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, involved battleground states and focused on alleged noncitizen voting. The judge cited concerns about voter intimidation, including reports of armed federal agents visiting people’s homes. The order directs Homeland Security to stop the investigations, which sought to examine voter registration by noncitizens. The ruling puts a halt to the administration’s efforts across the states covered by the probes. The judge’s stated concern centered on the impact of agents’ home visits on people being investigated.