The Dispute Index

Patrick J. Bumatay

Patrick J. Bumatay is a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He joined the court in 2019 after serving as a federal prosecutor in Southern California and in several U.S. Department of Justice policy and leadership offices.

Website (opens in a new tab)

What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Patrick J. Bumatay on 2026 Midterm Elections, Election Security, and Voting Rights. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Patrick J. Bumatay

Patrick J. Bumatay

Role at the time: Ninth Circuit judge, dissenting opinion

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Bumatay argues that federal authority justifies an injunction to prevent processing ballots he describes as likely cast by noncitizens.

“We should’ve enjoined it from accepting and processing ballots likely cast by aliens until their citizenship could be verified.”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)United States v. California, No. 26-7070: Ninth Circuit order dismissing the appealPer curiam order, parts I and II; dissent by Judge Bumatay, opening paragraphs
Why we used this label

Relative to DOJ's requested segregation and verification, Bumatay expressly supports granting relief.

Read statementDOJ seeks to set aside flagged California ballots; Weber disputes its evidence

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.