US Judge Blocks DOJ Threats Against Election Workers

A United States federal judge on Friday (Oct 30) temporarily stopped the Trump administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution over ballots tied to suspected noncitizens, Fox News reported, with the midterm elections days away.

US District Judge Trina Thompson, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order after finding that the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security had likely breached the Voting Rights Act’s ban on voter intimidation.

According to the report, the two departments had warned election workers they could face prosecution for processing ballots from voters whom the administration claims are not eligible to vote.

DOJ Threats: What the order blocks

The case was brought by labour unions and civil rights groups, including the Service Employees International Union and the NAACP, the report said.

Under the order, federal officials may not threaten, intimidate or pressure state and local election workers into halting ballot processing solely because the administration alleges that certain registered voters are ineligible.

The order also bars demands that election officials remove those voters from the rolls, refuse them ballots, or set aside or decline to count their ballots based only on such allegations.

The administration must also inform the state and local governments that received the disputed letters that the demands and prosecution threats in them have been blocked.

Election workers shielded before Nov 3 vote

In her eight-page order, Thompson wrote that a fair election means people can vote “free from threat, fear, or intimidation”.

The ruling came only days before Election Day on Tuesday (Nov 3), with ballots already issued and Americans already casting their votes, according to the report.

Justice Department reviewing options

In a statement cited in the report, the Justice Department criticised the ruling, saying it was issued before the government had a chance to respond.

The department said it was reviewing the order and evaluating all of its options. No appeal filing or further court hearing was described in the report.

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DOJ Threats