The Justice Department on Friday dropped its lawsuit seeking to block California from counting roughly 20,000 ballots it alleged were cast by potential noncitizens after the Supreme Court and lower courts rejected the Trump administration’s efforts.

In a three-page filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, federal prosecutors moved to voluntarily dismiss the case. The Justice Department said the disputed ballots would be mixed with other ballots before a Nov. 13 hearing, making its request to keep them separate moot.

“The relief the United States sought and needed is no longer available,” prosecutors wrote.

The lawsuit, filed in October, alleged that California had failed to adequately investigate a federal list identifying more than 20,000 registered voters as potentially ineligible because of their citizenship status. State officials disputed the list’s accuracy and warned that the administration’s demands could disenfranchise eligible voters.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter rejected the administration’s request for a temporary restraining order on Oct. 28. The Supreme Court subsequently denied an emergency request to separate the ballots Monday, leaving California’s election procedures intact.

Friday’s dismissal came a week before a court-appointed special master was scheduled to examine the accuracy of the administration’s list of suspected noncitizens and whether California election officials could separate the disputed ballots.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta had opposed the administration’s demands, arguing that the government had failed to provide reliable evidence supporting its allegations and that the proposed restrictions could prevent eligible citizens from having their votes counted.

Lisa Rubin contributed to this report.

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