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The Trump administration is trying to block more than 20,000 ballots in California in the middle of an election, citing a list of “likely” noncitizens with no clear explanation of where it came from. On Sunday, a federal appeals court sounded deeply skeptical. Here’s what happened:

When he didn’t, the DOJ ran to the 9th Circuit before the trial court had even ruled. Judge Mark Bennett, a Trump appointee, wasn’t having it: “I don’t see how we have jurisdiction.” Later: “You could have filed the complaint a month before you did, right?”

The DOJ’s excuse: It didn’t realize how many ballots were already being processed. LA County’s attorney called that “absurd on its face.” The county reports the numbers daily and livestreams the process. California’s attorney called it “an emergency of their own making.”

The DOJ’s attorney couldn’t say who helped build the list. Judge Gabriel Sanchez, a Biden appointee, asked why it flagged 190,000 people in July but only 20,000 now, and how officials could match names to ballots: “I guarantee you there are many Gabriel Sanchezes in the County of Los Angeles.”