Judge blocks DOJ bid to halt Alaska Senate result certification
What's next: The Justice Department plans to appeal after the court said the requested remedy could violate ballot secrecy.
A federal judge threw out the Trump administration’s attempt to stop Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled Sunday that the federal government lacked authority to bring the case, which sought to delay certification while officials investigated whether voters were confused by two similarly named candidates on the ranked-choice ballot. Gleason wrote that the government had not shown how its proposed fix could address the alleged harm without undermining the secret ballot. The Justice Department said it will appeal. The dispute centers on Dan Sullivan and Daniel Sullivan Jr., an unaffiliated candidate the Alaska Supreme Court previously allowed to stay on the ballot.