Page B53From§Eachthe evening edition — 7 November 2026
THE PATTERN
As it ran on the front
The lawsuit died this week in Washington, of a withdrawal its own authors filed. It was born on 24 October in Anchorage, when the Justice Department sued to block certification of Alaska's Senate race, but only if the Republican lost. The complaint named zero ballots. Four federal probes into a Democratic candidate who shared most of a Republican senator's name turned up zero charges. It is survived by its own strategy, filed anew in California; it was preceded in death, in Alaska, by the zero ballots it was built to find.
The family resemblance held. The Court's order came down ahead of the demand being met; lower courts had already ruled the same way. On Friday, the department asked the court to let it drop the case entirely.…
…(cont) Not a settlement. Not a negotiated withdrawal. Not even malarkey, really — just a request, filed by the department that filed the suit, to make its own case go away. The twenty thousand ballots the department asked California to set aside will be counted. The claim behind them — that each belonged to a noncitizen — was never tested at trial, and now it will not be. It was asserted, litigated up to the Supreme Court, lost there, and withdrawn before any court reached the merits a second time. That is the shit of it — a federal agency can put a number on twenty thousand voters, lose at the Supreme Court, and still retire the case without ever having to make its number match a name.
Alaska's version asked a state to hold a certification hostage to an outcome. California's asked a state to hold 20,000 of its own residents' ballots out of a count on the department's word alone. Both died the same way: not disproven in open court, just taken back before a judge could rule on the merits a second time. The pattern survives its own members. There is no reason, on this record, to expect it retired with California.
In lieu of flowers, the department that files these suits should publish, in every case, the list of ballots or voters the suit named — before a court has to ask, and before the suit is dropped.
“They sue to hold the count hostage, and the second the Supreme Court says no, they drop the case like it never happened — no apology, no accounting of the twenty thousand people they tried to erase. This is the same play run twice in two weeks, Alaska then California, and the only thing that changes is which state eats the legal bill. Next time it's your county's ballots on that list, and by the time a court rules, they'll have already quit and moved on to the next one.”
“Look, the department was just protecting election integrity, making sure every ballot that gets counted is a legal one — that's not political, that's the job. And dropping the case isn't losing, it's — well, the Supreme Court did rule against us, twice now, so maybe it's — did I say "us"? I meant the department. I don't work there. I just believe in the process.”
Earlier in this story
The receipts
Republicans' reconciliation package puts $70 billion into ICE's department NBC News, May 2026
Courts Reject Trump’s Attempt at Deploying ICE to Intimidate VotersA judge ordered Homeland Security to stop sending agents door to door in nine key states to hunt for “voter fraud.”
The Justice Department (DOJ) requested Friday to dismiss its lawsuit against California, which sought to make the state's election officials set aside roughly 20,000 ballots for voters the federal government alleged were not U.S. citizens. The Supreme Court already ruled against the Trump administration in an emergency order ahead of…
The DOJ disbanded its crypto enforcement team in April 2025 and ordered inconsistent investigations closed - while the president's family runs a crypto business CNBC, 8 April 2025 (Blanche memo)
DOJ dropping suit over alleged noncitizen ballotsThe Justice Department moved to dismiss its own lawsuit that sought to stop California from counting roughly 20,000 ballots it alleged went to noncitizens.
· Supreme court rules against Trump over bid to force California to set aside ballots from the morgue, 2 Nov 2026
· Supreme Court rejects Trump request for California to set aside ballots from alleged noncitizens from the morgue, 3 Nov 2026
· Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Peltola repeats denial of ballot-stacking reports, stays silent on federal probe from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Trump prosecutions under Biden set precedent for DOJ’s Alaska ‘Decoy Dan’ probe, ex-FEC chair says from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026
· Murkowski snubs Trump-backed Alaska candidate, endorses Democrat for governor from the morgue, 28 Oct 2026
· DOJ sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sullivan loses from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Alaska Election Gambit Shows Justice Dept. Has Bowed to Trump’s Demands from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Donald Trump challenges Alaska Senate trace from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· The controversy surrounding convicted former election official Tina Peters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Alaska Senate race featuring two Dan Sullivans is ‘blatantly corrupt’: Joe Concha from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Trump officials abandon effort to investigate election threats, experts warn from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026
· Tina Peters turns down job with California county's registrar of voters from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Election deniers stoke Trump-driven ballot security fears before midterms from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Facing an electoral wipeout, Trump goes after the system from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Justice Dept. Demands That California Counties Help Identify Noncitizen Voters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifts Alaska and South Carolina Senate races in favor of Democrats from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Appeals Court Rejects 'Likely Unlawful' Trump Push to Undermine Mail-In Voting as Supreme Court Looms from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· US justice department sues California over alleged noncitizen voting from the morgue, 15 Oct 2026
· Trump knocks Alaska voting system: 'How stupid are we to do this?' from the morgue, 9 Oct 2026
· Corey Lewandowski Always Found His Way Back to Trump. Until Now. from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump announces $6.6bn defense shipyard owned by top Republican donor’s firm from the morgue, 6 Oct 2026
· Companies Backed by Trump Sons Have Scored Over $6 Billion in Pentagon Contracts: Analysis from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· DOJ demands that California counties help identify noncitizen voters from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· DOJ demands that some California counties set aside alleged noncitizen ballots from the morgue, 25 Oct 2026
· California officials ordered by DoJ to set aside ‘likely’ noncitizen ballots from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· LA feds move to halt ballot counting over 20K suspected noncitizen voters from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump 'Laying the Groundwork for Election Meddling' With DHS Hunt for Noncitizen Voters from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· California has no real safeguards for voting and voter registration from the morgue, 21 Oct 2026
· Federal efforts over alleged noncitizen voting escalate with California arrests from the morgue, 20 Oct 2026
· Federal voter fraud arrests intensify in California days after DOJ warning from the morgue, 19 Oct 2026
· Trump DOJ issues stark warning to California ballot counters after suing state over 20K suspected noncitizen voters from the morgue, 17 Oct 2026
· Intel Democrats on how they'll react if Trump alleges election meddling from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump told DOJ to sue to block Alaska Senate results if Republican narrowly loses from the morgue, 26 Oct 2026
· Trump says he personally ordered DOJ lawsuit intervening in Alaska Senate election from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Ramaswamy accuses Acton of ‘lying’ about attack ad, but court records contradict mother’s claim – live from the morgue, 24 Oct 2026
· DoJ sues to block certification of Alaska Senate results if Republican incumbent loses from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump-Ordered DOJ Lawsuit in Alaska Seen as First Salvo in GOP Effort to Undermine Midterm Elections from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump on the Alaska election lawsuit: 'I'm the one that said, "do it"' from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sues to block certification of upcoming Alaska election from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· DOJ files lawsuit to block results in Alaska Senate race after two Dan Sullivans land on November ballot from the morgue, 23 Oct 2026
· Trump previews trip to Alaska to campaign for Dan Sullivan, ripping into the other Dan Sullivan from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump urges Alaskans to vote for the ‘real’ Dan Sullivan in tight midterms battle from the morgue, 14 Oct 2026
· Sullivan trails Peltola in Alaska Senate contest: AARP poll from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Trump vows to probe other Dan Sullivan in alleged Dem plot to sabotage ‘real’ Alaska GOP senator from the morgue, 14 Oct 2026
· Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· AGs v. Trump: How an AWOL Congress made hundreds of lawsuits possible from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· The Electoral College meets in the state capitals to officially elect the next President. Joe Biden, the presumptive president-elect, is officially elected president after securing California's 55 ele from the morgue, 14 Dec 2020
· US federal agents raid home of Democratic congresswoman and Trump critic Ilhan Omar from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Ilhan Omar’s Home Raided by DHS Following Trump-GOP Deportation Threats from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Federal Agents Search Home of Rep. Ilhan Omar from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar’s residence searched as part of ongoing criminal investigation: DOJ from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. home searched by Homeland Security investigators from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Rep. Ilhan Omar’s DC home raided by DHS as part of probe into Dem’s immigration paperwork from the morgue, 12 Oct 2026
· Homan confirms 'criminal' investigation involving Ilhan Omar, says he knows 'things are going on’ from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026
· WATCH: Ilhan Omar denies feds have contacted her after border czar Homan confirms 'criminal' investigation from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Could Trump revoke Ilhan Omar's citizenship for alleged brother marriage? Ex federal prosecutor breaks it down from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· Did Ilhan Omar marry her own brother? The claims explained from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Russia’s Lavrov blasts US, Western allies as “warmongers’ in fiery UN tirade from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· Russia and China unite against US over Iran and Cuba in UN speeches from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican from the morgue, 14 Aug 2020
· U.S. Threatens New Economic War on Iran by Targeting China & Tehran's Other Top Trading Partners from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· In Defiant UN Speech, Iranian President Says US and Israel Are the Real Terrorists from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Trump slams reporting on removal of his endorsements from GOP candidate's website from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026
· Donalds removes several Trump mentions from campaign website from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· GOP hopeful removes ‘Pro-Trump’ mention from campaign slogan in deep-red seat from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Where Trump’s 2026 endorsement record stands after primary season from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.