The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to consider sanctions against an immigrant rights group and its lawyers for publishing an analysis of data identifying more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in California. The department contends the analysis violated a court order.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg granted the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) access to federal data on individuals the Trump administration alleged were noncitizen voters in California. Boasberg ordered the group not to disclose any names and to use the data solely for arguments regarding their legal standing to challenge the administration's use of the list.
Attorneys for CHIRLA filed court papers Saturday stating their analysis found over 40% of the individuals on the list do not appear in California's voter file. The analysis also identified 22 individuals likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and suggested thousands of U.S. citizens were also on the list.
The Justice Department responded Sunday in a filing, asserting that CHIRLA's analysis was irrelevant to the group's legal standing and therefore breached Boasberg's order. The department suggested the judge refer the matter for potential criminal contempt of court charges.
A spokesman for the UCLA Voting Rights Project, which conducted the analysis for CHIRLA, stated that the plaintiffs' counsel and experts fully complied with the court's orders.
In a separate development, the Justice Department is appealing a Friday ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Trina L. Thompson that barred the department from demanding election offices remove suspected noncitizens from voter rolls, separate their ballots, or face legal action. The department noted that Thompson's ruling came before it could file its initial arguments. A hearing on this appeal is scheduled for Monday.
This case is part of a series of challenges where the Trump administration has faced setbacks regarding its lists of alleged noncitizen voters. Previously, a federal judge in California rejected a demand to force election officials to separate ballots cast by these individuals, citing the potential to disrupt elections. Appellate judges upheld this decision.
California election officials have also raised concerns about the accuracy of the list, stating they lack the resources to remove voters from rolls in the days leading up to an election. Individuals attest to their U.S. citizenship upon registration and face felony charges if they vote illegally.
The administration has maintained that its list was meticulously compiled from state voter registration data and cross-referenced with federal citizenship records. The Justice Department had previously issued subpoenas to California election offices and warned officials against knowingly allowing noncitizens to vote, indicating potential criminal charges.