Judge blasts Trump team for threatening election workers in latest rebuke to midterm plans

Judge blasts Trump team for threatening election workers in latest rebuke to midterm plans Election workers and voting rights groups accused DOJ of launching an intimidation campaign over alleged noncitizen voters - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump’s administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution for processing ballots — thwarting the government’s last-ditch attempts to toss out votes before Election Day. The temporary restraining order prevents the Department of Justice and Homeland Security from demanding state and local election officials stop processing or setting aside ballots in the president’s crusade against alleged noncitizen voters. “One of the hallmarks of a fair election is the freedom to exercise the right to vote free from threat, fear or intimidation,” California District Judge Trina Thompson wrote Friday night. “Free exercise of the right to vote is a core tenet of our democracy,” she added. “Election Day is around the corner. Ballots have already been issued. Americans have already begun voting. Workers have already begun processing ballots. Given the consequences of inaction, the Court sees no reason to delay its ruling.” The ruling follows a lawsuit from unions representing election workers and civil rights groups who accused the administration of trying to illegally “intimidate” them with threats of criminal prosecution in the weeks before high-stakes midterm elections, with the balance of power in Congress at stake. According to Judge Thompson, “high-ranking DOJ and DHS officials have engaged in a campaign to intimidate, threaten, and coerce state and local officials and employees who are engaged in administering the ongoing midterm 2026 election.” “Although Defendants claim that their actions are designed to halt unlawful voting by noncitizens, their actions are likely to have the effect of interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters,” she wrote. Friday night’s order arrived hours after a federal appeals court in the state blocked the administration’s efforts to sequester 20,000 ballots, which another judge warned would “wreak havoc” on elections in the state. That legal battle could soon head to the Supreme Court next if the administration wants to keep fighting, with just days left before Election Day on Tuesday. Appellate court judges said the administration’s attempts to set aside ballots while voting is already underway could “jeopardize” midterm elections and disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters. That 2-1 decision marks the third straight loss for the administration in its efforts to block ballots from alleged noncitizen voters in the state. “We decline the United States’s invitation to contravene the Elections Clause by undermining the Constitution’s plain text,” the court’s majority wrote on Friday. The court has “major concerns” that the administration’s attempts to seize control of the state’s election process will risk “disenfranchisement of eligible voters” and could put the “entire tabulation process in jeopardy,” judges wrote. Federal law mandates a “quiet period” 90 days before an election to ensure voters aren’t wrongly disenfranchised without enough time to make corrections. But the Justice Department launched an unprecedented effort to seize ballots and prevent states from certifying votes with just days left before midterm campaigns come to an end. The Justice Department is also trying to press officials in Washington state to sequester ballots from at least 400 people the administration has accused of being noncitizens. The Trump administration is also embroiled in an increasingly volatile attempt to block the certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate results if Trump’s preferred candidate loses. Election experts and voting rights groups said a court’s intervention in the election workers’ case is a relief for the small army of people who run the nation’s elections. “This decision is a resounding win for the election workers who make our democracy happen and for all Americans’ freedom to vote,” said Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation Of State County And Municipal Employees, among the unions suing the Trump administration. Election workers can now “continue to do their jobs, and our elections can continue to proceed freely and fairly,” he added. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments