DOJ Subpoenas Los Angeles Election Staff After Judge Blocks Ballot Review
Federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas on employees of the county registrar's office, escalating a dispute over noncitizen voter rolls that a district judge recently called legally unsound.
By Luca Harrison ·
The Department of Justice served grand jury subpoenas on employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office last week, requiring them to appear in court on Nov. 4. The office confirmed the service of the documents to NPR on Thursday, a move that marks a sharp escalation in the federal government's effort to identify noncitizens on California's voter rolls. The subpoenas followed a series of warning letters sent by the Justice Department to local election officials in recent weeks.
In those letters, the DOJ warned that officials who refused to cooperate with federal demands risked legal exposure. The agency asserted that if persons knowingly tabulated ballots cast by individuals identified as noncitizens, they risked becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime. The department is currently seeking to set aside ballots for thousands of voters who appear on a list of 20,000 names that federal officials have flagged as likely noncitizens. The agency has not clarified whether the specific staff members who received the subpoenas are currently the targets of a criminal investigation.
The subpoenas were issued one day after U.S. District Judge David O. Carter rejected a request by the Justice Department to force California election officials to stop processing those ballots. Judge Carter found no legal basis for the DOJ's demand and expressed doubt about the reliability of the 20,000-name list. In his ruling, the judge raised concerns that the federal effort would disenfranchise eligible voters and create chaos in the election process. The Justice Department is now appealing Carter's decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
During a hearing in Carter's courtroom on Tuesday, the judge directed Justice Department officials to cease their threats toward state and county elected employees immediately. He repeated this instruction in an order issued Wednesday evening, stating that the court reiterated its position that the threats must stop. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment regarding the new subpoenas.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan praised the judge's comments in a statement issued Thursday. Logan described the DOJ's approach as confrontational and adversarial at every step, while noting that election officials are acting in accordance with state and federal law. He stated that the county would take necessary steps to ensure the safety of its employees so they could continue serving the voters of Los Angeles County.
