US appeals court rejects Trump effort to invalidate California ballots

A federal appeals court has rejected a petition to set aside thousands of California ballots, finding the legal challenge fundamentally at odds with constitutional protections governing elections.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the bid to remove roughly 20,000 ballots from the state's official vote tally, determining that the petition violated constitutional principles. The court's decision underscores ongoing judicial skepticism toward post-election legal challenges in the state.

The rejection marks another legal defeat in a series of attempts to contest California election results through the federal court system. Courts have consistently held that states maintain broad authority over ballot counting procedures and that challenges must demonstrate concrete constitutional violations.

The ruling aligns with broader judicial trends across multiple election-related cases, where federal courts have applied rigorous scrutiny to claims seeking to invalidate or exclude lawfully cast ballots. Legal experts note that courts typically require substantial evidence of systemic fraud or constitutional breaches before considering such extraordinary remedies.