Barbara’s quick search of Judicial Watch found 2 sources that consider information from Judicial Watch unreliable–Media Bias/Fact Check and Wikipedia.
Media Bias/Fact Check found the California illegal votes story FALSE and gave Judicial Watch an overall rating of Questionable Source with a LOW rating of factual information.
Wikipedia says “In August 2017, Judicial Watch falsely alleged that 11 California counties had more registered voters than their estimated populations of citizens eligible to vote.”
“Judicial Watch counted “inactive voters” in its tally, which is a list of people that California maintains of people who have been removed from active rolls after a mail ballot, voter guide or other official document was returned as undeliverable.”
Details below.
From Media Bias Fact Check
mediabiasfactcheck.com/judicial-watch/
Judicial Watch – Bias and Credibility
QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section of that source. See all Questionable sources.
• Overall, we rate Judicial Watch Questionable based on extreme right-wing bias, promotion of conspiracy theories, and an abysmal fact-check record.
________________________________________
Detailed Report
Reasoning: Conspiracy, Propaganda, Numerous Failed Fact Checks
Bias Rating: FAR RIGHT
Factual Reporting: LOW
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
Failed Fact Checks
Did a legal settlement between Judicial Watch and California election officials prove that one million illegal votes were cast in the 2018 elections in California? – FALSE
DHS Quietly Moving, Releasing ‘Vanloads’ of ‘Illegal Aliens’ Away from Border –
FALSE
Has Nancy Pelosi spent $100,000 on food, booze, and “partying” during her air travel? – FALSE
Judicial Watch says ISIS operating a camp in Mexico–near El Paso – FALSE
‘Islamic Refugee’ with Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County – FALSE
Did the IRS ‘Fast Track’ Tax-Exempt Status for ‘After School Satan’ Clubs? – FALSE
“More than 100,000 DACA applicants have been arrested—Murder, Rape, DUI.” – MOSTLY FALSE
Donald Trump was allowed to destroy classified documents – MOSTLY FALSE
From Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_Watch
Judicial Watch (JW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit[1] American conservative activist group[2] that files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to investigate claimed misconduct by government officials. Founded in 1994, Judicial Watch has primarily targeted Democrats, in particular the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as Hillary Clinton’s role in them. It was founded by attorney Larry Klayman, and has been led by Tom Fitton since 2003.
The organization has filed lawsuits against government climate scientists. Judicial Watch has made numerous false and unsubstantiated claims that have been picked up by right-wing news outlets and promoted by conservative figures. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited false claims by Judicial Watch about voter fraud. Various courts have dismissed the vast majority of its lawsuits.[3]
False voter fraud claims
In August 2017, Judicial Watch falsely alleged that 11 California counties had more registered voters than their estimated populations of citizens eligible to vote; the claims were picked up by outlets such as Breitbart News and Russian propaganda network RT (Russia Today).[50] Judicial Watch counted “inactive voters” in its tally, which is a list of people that California maintains of people who have been removed from active rolls after a mail ballot, voter guide or other official document was returned as undeliverable; California keeps such a list as a fail-safe in case eligible voters have been erroneously categorized as “inactive”.[50] California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Judicial Watch’s claims were “baseless”, and “bad math and dubious methodology”.[50][51] When the Los Angeles Times asked Judicial Watch to share its analysis of voter registration in California, Judicial Watch declined.[51] Judicial Watch’s voter fraud claims came in the wake of President Donald Trump’s false claims of extensive voter fraud in California during the 2016 presidential election.[51] Trump has subsequently repeatedly promoted Judicial Watch’s false claims about voter fraud.[52]
On February 3, 2020, the day of the Iowa caucuses in the Democratic presidential primary, JW president Tom Fitton suggested that voter fraud was afoot in Iowa by falsely claiming that “eight Iowa counties have more voter registrations than citizens old enough to register.” The false assertion went viral on social media.[53][54] Iowa’s Secretary of State, Paul Pate, a member of the Republican Party, debunked Fitton’s claim by linking to official voter registration data.[55][56]
Fitton has made alarmist claims about voter fraud, saying “We have all heard about voter fraud and the attempts by liberal media organs like the New York Times and Ivory Tower academics to dismiss it as a nonexistent problem. But is it real, widespread, and substantial to the point that it can decide elections.”[57]
Retrieved December 25, 2017.
“More voters than eligible adults? Group makes dubious claim about California”. McClatchy DC Bureau. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
Myers, John (August 8, 2017). “They sued for Clinton’s emails. Now they want information on California voters”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
“Trump once again misleads with bogus claims of voter fraud”. The Washington Post. 2020.
Birnbaum, Emily (February 3, 2020). “Iowa Secretary of State Disputes Viral Misinformation about Voter Registration.” The Hill. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
Romm, Tony, and Isaac Stanley-Becker (February 3, 2020). “Conservatives Spread False Claims on Twitter about Electoral Fraud as Iowans Prepare to Caucus.” The Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
Barbara McLaughlin
Nehalem
Clayworth, Jason. “The misinformation campaign: Iowa SOS blasts Judicial Watch for insinuating voter fraud”. Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
“Conservatives push false claims of voter fraud on Twitter as Iowans prepare to caucus”. The Washington Post. 2020.
“Soon-To-Be-Released Book by Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton Warns of Massive Voter Fraud Danger in Current Presidential Election”. Retrieved December 25, 2017.