Federal Judge Tosses Trump Administration Bid to Interfere in Alaska Senate Certification
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A federal judge rejected a Trump administration lawsuit that tried to stop Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate race results, saying the government had no standing to drag voters into court over a manufactured dispute.
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that sought to stop certification of the results from Alaska's U.S. Senate race if the Republican incumbent lost. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason said the federal government had no authority to bring such a case, which attempted to block state officials from certifying the election results under the pretext of investigating possible voter confusion caused by two similarly named candidates on the ranked-choice ballot.
Judge Gleason stressed that a court order of the kind requested could trample Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot, writing, "The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling." The Justice Department, which leaned on the National Voter Registration Act in its filing, is expected to appeal the decision.
Voting rights advocates praised the ruling, with Sophia Lin Lakin of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project calling the lawsuit a "reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing hundreds of thousands of Alaska voters." President Trump launched the lawsuit amid concerns over the names of the candidates on the ballot, specifically Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and independent candidate Daniel Sullivan Jr.
Even with the ongoing political theater, including allegations of Democratic efforts to undermine the incumbent, Alaskans have kept voting in large numbers, with more than 86,700 ballots cast as of the latest reports. Voting continues through Election Day, and incumbent Sullivan said he would accept the election results regardless of the outcome.