Politics1 min read

Judge tosses Trump's attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the administration's bid to halt Alaska's election certification, ruling the federal government lacked standing to sue under the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act. President Trump pursued the legal challenge over ballot confusion between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and unaffiliated candidate Daniel Sullivan Jr., whose candidacy was already upheld by the state supreme court in June. Despite the ruling, a separate federal criminal investigation remains active, and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an inquiry that could still disrupt certification if misconduct is uncovered. Democratic challenger Mary Peltola has firmly denied Repu…

Key points

  • Justice Department attorneys are planning to file an appeal following the dismissal of th…: Justice Department attorneys are planning to file an appeal following the dismissal of their federal lawsuit.
  • Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy warned that state election certification could still be hal…: Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy warned that state election certification could still be halted if an ongoing inquiry reveals wrongdoing.
  • U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed that a federal criminal investigation regarding th…: U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed that a federal criminal investigation regarding the candidate dispute is currently underway.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A federal judge has thrown out the Trump administration's highly unusual attempt to block the certification of results from a key U.S. Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent loses.

In a ruling released Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason found the federal government does not have the ability to bring this lawsuit.

Justice Department attorneys — who had cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act in their case— are expected to appeal the ruling by Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama.

President Trump said he ordered this lawsuit to be filed because out of the four Senate candidates on Alaska's ballot, two have similar names — Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, and Daniel Sullivan Jr., who is not affiliated with a political party.

Alaska's Republican Party supported an earlier effort in state court that tried to keep Sullivan Jr., the non-incumbent, off the ballot. But in June, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Sullivan Jr. has the right to run as a candidate.

Still, Republican allegations of Democrats propping up Sullivan Jr. to spoil…

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