The United States federal court has barred the Trump administration from harassing election‑commission staff and from pressuring them to halt the processing of absentee ballots in the upcoming mid‑term elections. NBC News reported that the order, issued by California Judge Trina Thompson, remains in effect until November 16, almost two weeks after the November 3 election day. In an eight‑page ruling, Thompson prohibited federal officials from threatening, coercing, or otherwise pressuring election‑officials to stop processing absentee ballots solely on the basis that voters allegedly lack the right to vote. She noted that senior representatives of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had begun a “pressure campaign” against officials responsible for conducting elections. The judge warned that, despite the administration’s statements about preventing illegal voting by non‑citizens, its actions could obstruct the election process and deprive eligible voters of their right to cast a ballot. The court’s review focused on the administration’s attempts to separate absentee ballots in several states, including California and Washington, on the claim that they might belong to non‑citizens. The appellate court rejected California’s request to separate such ballots, while the Washington case remains pending. Last week, the DOJ sent letters to 57 of California’s 58 election districts, urging them to investigate alleged illegal voting. Officials were warned that non‑compliance could trigger audits. On October 22, a letter sent to a representative in San Bernardino County included a list of 1,133 individuals identified by the county supervisor as “likely foreigners.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Esayl attached the list and demanded that the county determine each person’s citizenship within 48 hours, providing non‑public data such as Social Security numbers and driver’s‑license information. If citizenship could not be confirmed, the DOJ suggested temporarily separating the individual’s absentee ballot from the rest of the pile rather than discarding it outright. Earlier federal courts had already rejected the administration’s efforts to separate or exclude thousands of absentee ballots on the basis of suspected non‑citizenship. One judge also questioned the methods used by authorities to identify alleged violators.