A US federal judge has temporarily barred the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security from threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution over their handling of disputed ballots ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
US District Judge Trina Thompson issued the order on Friday in response to a lawsuit filed by labour unions and civil rights groups accusing the Trump administration of intimidating election workers and interfering with election processes.
The ruling prohibits federal agencies from pressuring election officials to stop processing ballots, remove registered voters from electoral rolls or refuse to count votes based solely on allegations that some voters are not US citizens.
Thompson also barred the agencies from threatening election workers with prosecution for refusing to comply with such demands.
The judge said the administration’s actions could disrupt election processes and disenfranchise eligible voters. She added that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their legal challenge.
The order, which expires on November 16, comes days before the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
The Trump administration had sought to set aside ballots linked to more than 20,000 California voters suspected of not being US citizens. However, a federal judge rejected the request on Wednesday, and an appeals court upheld the decision on Friday.
The latest ruling marks another legal setback for the administration’s efforts to tighten election oversight over allegations of non-citizen voting. The Justice Department had not immediately commented on the order.
Leave feedback about this