The California Governor’s Office on Monday said the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Trump Department of Justice’s request for an emergency order affecting California’s elections, with no noted dissents.
The Governor’s Office said the decision ends weeks of legal challenges to how the state conducts elections. The office characterized the federal effort as a baseless attack and said the ruling puts the matter to rest.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the high court “firmly slapped down the Trump DOJ’s baseless attack on California’s electoral process — not even entertaining it.” He said the decision showed the judicial branch “did its job.” Newsom said Californians can feel secure that the state will carry out a free and fair election.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said courts have rejected the Administration’s attempts to interfere in California’s elections at multiple levels, including the district court, the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He said the latest decision should end efforts to disrupt the state’s elections through emergency court orders. Bonta said the state will remain vigilant.
California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., said the ruling means millions of Californians can focus on casting their ballots on the eve of Election Day. “The time to vote is now!” Weber said.
The Governor’s Office said that throughout the year Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, worked to safeguard the state’s electoral process. The office said those steps included creating new felonies for attempted election interference, investing nearly $40 million to support additional staff and modern technology to speed up counting and enhance security in every county, and strengthening coordination across local and state government.
The office did not detail the Supreme Court’s order beyond noting that it denied the request and listed no dissents. It did not describe the specific emergency relief the Justice Department had sought.