A US federal court in Alaska has dismissed a lawsuit by the US Justice Department seeking to delay the certification of Alaska's Senate race over alleged voter confusion between two similarly named candidates, tossing out an extraordinary intervention ordered by the Trump administration.
The federal government sought a preliminary injunction to prevent Alaska from certifying election returns should Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan lose to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, arguing that votes drawn away by a minor third-party candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, could alter the outcome.
The lawsuit alleged Peltola recruited a "decoy" to confuse voters intending to back the incumbent, a charge Peltola has denied.
Chief US District Judge Sharon L. Gleason rejected the request, ruling that sending federal law enforcement officers to interrogate voters about their intent would directly breach the right to a secret ballot.
Secret ballot protections
"Requiring the segregation of ballots cast by voters for Daniel J. Sullivan so that these voters can be further investigated by law enforcement is not a remedy that this Court can or should order as it clearly violates Alaskans’ right to a secret ballot," Gleason wrote in her decision.
Gleason held that the requested relief is unworkable because ballots cast by Alaskan voters are already commingled.
The ruling warned that such an intervention "would likely result in voter confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls," adding that altering election rules on the eve of Tuesday's vote directly violates established judicial doctrine.
The legal manoeuvre sparked widespread alarm over potential efforts to contest midterm election outcomes as Democrats attempt to flip seats to capture the Senate majority.
Following the ruling, the Justice Department labelled the dismissal "procedural" and confirmed plans to appeal, writing on X that "Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim "the Fake Daniel J Sullivan Jr" had vanished, denouncing Democratic lawyers and activists as "criminals" abusing the legal process.
