A federal judge on Sunday threw out the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking to segregate ballots and delay certification of Alaska’s Senate race, the latest legal rebuke to a rash of Trump administration attempts to meddle in the 2026 midterms.
US District Judge Sharon Gleason said the federal government doesn’t have the standing to force Alaska to segregate ballots and that such a move would violate the right of voters to cast a secret ballot. Regardless, she added, it’s too late for the courts to force such a major change on the eve of an election.
“The United States provides no workable plan as to how it proposes to segregate ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan on Election Day and then conduct a court-ordered unspecified ‘investigation’ of those ballots in a manner that would preserve voter secrecy,” Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, wrote.
CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
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