A US appeals court on Monday ruled against the Trump administration in a major voting dispute ahead of the midterms. NBC News and the New York Post reported the decision. The Justice Department had sought an emergency order to stop California from counting more than 20,000 disputed mail ballots.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the DOJ failed to give a lower court judge an adequate chance to weigh the case. The appeals panel said it would be premature to step in. A US district court was still set to hold a hearing on the dispute Tuesday.

The government has argued that some ballots may have been cast by noncitizens. California officials reject that claim and say the votes should be counted under state law. The pages did not say how many ballots would be affected if the lower court later sided with the DOJ.

Voting rights groups called the appeals ruling a setback for last-minute challenges. State lawyers said they would keep preparing for the Tuesday hearing. The case is one of several federal fights over ballot rules in the final week before Election Day.

What we know: The appeals court rejected the emergency bid to block the disputed California ballots.
What we don't: How the district judge will rule after the Tuesday hearing.