DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots
The department sought to halt the counting of 20,000 ballots until noncitizen status could be verified.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots
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What this story says
- The U.S. Department of Justice has requested to dismiss a lawsuit it filed against California.
- The lawsuit sought to prevent the counting of about 20,000 ballots until noncitizen status could be verified.
- The department's request to drop the case was made days after Republicans experienced significant losses in the midterm elections.
- The digests do not name specific sources for the DOJ's initial allegations.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 23 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
48/100
Craft
59/100
Hype
20/100
23 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 23 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to dismiss its own lawsuit that sought to stop California from counting approximately 20,000 ballots. The department had alleged these ballots were sent to noncitizens and wanted to halt their counting until immigration status could be verified. The request to dismiss the case was filed days after Republicans suffered significant losses in the midterm elections.
Disagreement on ballot numbers
While most digests state the lawsuit aimed to stop the counting of roughly 20,000 ballots, some reports indicate the number could be up to 20,000. The Associated Press, The Seattle Times, KCRA 3, Leader-Telegram, WFTV 9 abc, and KTBS reported the figure as up to 20,000. Other digests, including Rocky Mountain Outlook, Orillia Matters, Thorold Today, Bowen Island Undercurrent, ElliotLakeToday.com, thealbertan.com, CFJC Today Kamloops, The Toronto Star, Bangor Daily News, Winnipeg Free Press, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stated the number was roughly 20,000.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated reports covered this story. The digests did not mention any specific named sources for the U.S. Department of Justice's initial allegations that ballots had been sent to noncitizens.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 7 Nov 2026, 02:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
11 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports led with the U.S. Department of Justice's move to dismiss its lawsuit concerning California ballots. These reports consistently stated the lawsuit sought to stop the counting of roughly 20,000 ballots alleged to have gone to noncitizens until their immigration status could be verified. Several left-rated digests, including Rocky Mountain Outlook, Orillia Matters, Thorold Today, Bowen Island Undercurrent, ElliotLakeToday.com, thealbertan.com, The Toronto Star, Bangor Daily News, and Winnipeg Free Press, used phrasing similar to the Associated Press, stating the DOJ moved to dismiss its lawsuit on Friday. The Record and The Seattle Times also noted the request to dismiss came days after Republicans' significant losses in the midterm elections. The digests did not mention any specific named sources for the DOJ's initial allegations.
Centre
12 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports also focused on the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to dismiss its lawsuit against California regarding ballots. These digests consistently reported that the lawsuit aimed to stop the counting of up to 20,000 ballots suspected of being mailed to noncitizens, pending verification of immigration status. Spectrum Local News and Leader-Telegram noted the request to dismiss came days after Republicans' significant losses in the midterm elections. Leader-Telegram also mentioned the federal government's decision came before a scheduled hearing next week. The digests did not include specific named sources for the DOJ's allegations.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots?
- Of the 23 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 48% are rated left, 52% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 23 rated outlets on this story, 48% are rated left, 52% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots biased?
- DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots is one event reported by 23 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered DOJ moves to dismiss lawsuit over California ballots?
- 23 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against California about?
- The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to stop California from counting approximately 20,000 ballots. The department alleged these ballots were sent to noncitizens and wanted to verify their immigration status before they could be counted.
- Why did the DOJ ask to dismiss the lawsuit?
- The Department of Justice requested to dismiss its lawsuit days after Republicans experienced significant losses in the midterm elections. The specific reasons for the dismissal request were not detailed in the provided digests.
- How many ballots were in question?
- The digests provided slightly different figures for the number of ballots in question. Most stated roughly 20,000 ballots, while some indicated the number could be up to 20,000.
Read it at the source
23 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
11- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens ElliotLakeToday.com in a new tab)
ElliotLakeToday.com — is ElliotLakeToday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Thorold Today in a new tab)
Thorold Today — is Thorold Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Orillia Matters in a new tab)
Orillia Matters — is Orillia Matters biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 3 more
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Bangor Daily News in a new tab)
Bangor Daily News — is Bangor Daily News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department moves to dismiss its lawsuit demanding California set aside ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens (opens Richmond Register in a new tab)
Richmond Register — is Richmond Register biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
12- DOJ moves to dismiss its lawsuit demanding California set aside ballots (opens Spectrum Local News in a new tab)
Spectrum Local News — is Spectrum Local News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens KTBS in a new tab)
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens KCRA 3 in a new tab)
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens CFJC Today Kamloops in a new tab)
CFJC Today Kamloops — is CFJC Today Kamloops biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens WFTV 9 ABC in a new tab)
WFTV 9 ABC — is WFTV 9 ABC biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Leader-Telegram in a new tab)
Leader-Telegram — is Leader-Telegram biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department moves to dismiss its lawsuit demanding Californi (opens WBAL in a new tab)
Show 4 more
- US Justice Department moves to dismiss its lawsuit demanding California set aside ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens (opens Santa Maria Times in a new tab)
Santa Maria Times — is Santa Maria Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department moves to dismiss its lawsuit demanding California set aside ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens (opens Ottumwa Courier in a new tab)
Ottumwa Courier — is Ottumwa Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Justice Department drops bid to force California to set aside disputed ballots (opens Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a new tab)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — is Pittsburgh Post-Gazette biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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