26 publishers · first seen Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:00 UTC · updated Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:47 UTC
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to stop threatening state and local election officials with criminal charges over ballot processing. Judge Trina Thompson issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from demanding that officials set aside or not count ballots from registered voters alleged to be non-citizens, ruling such actions likely violate the Voting Rights Act and exceed federal authority. The order, issued just days before the 3 November midterm elections, follows lawsuits by election worker unions and civil rights groups who accused the administration of intimidation. It requires federal officials to retract prior threats and report any related legal actions, remaining in effect through 16 November.
The ruling comes after a California appeals court denied the administration's bid to sequester ballots from about 20,000 voters. Similar demands were reportedly sent to Washington state. The administration has argued its actions aim to prevent noncitizen voting, but courts have warned they risk disenfranchising lawful voters and disrupting election integrity.
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