LA Prosecutor Throws Gauntlet on Noncitizen Voters

A federal appeals court refused the Justice Department's bid to set aside roughly 20,000 disputed ballots, 2-1, warning it could disrupt Tuesday's midterms. Setting aside ballots mid-election is like hauling a bull out of the pen the morning of the sale. LA federal prosecutor Bill Essayli wants California to check voter citizenship against the same federal database it uses to verify Medi-Cal applicants. California trusts that database with health benefits, so calling it untrustworthy for a ballot is a whole other can of worms. Secretary of State Shirley Weber and LA County's registrar declined to review the registrations on the feds' timetable. Senior US District Judge John Michael Seabright ruled Tuesday that Essayli has been unlawfully serving as a de facto US attorney, though that order is on hold pending appeal.