Judge blocks Trump administration threats against election workers
Why it matters: The order, issued days before the Nov. 3 midterms, bars officials from pressuring local staff to halt ballot processing.
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution over ballots linked to suspected noncitizens, ruling that the effort likely violated federal protections against voter intimidation. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson barred the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security from pressuring state and local officials to stop processing ballots, purge voters from rolls, deny ballots or set aside votes based only on the administration's allegations. Thompson also ordered the administration to notify governments that received the disputed letters that the threats had been blocked. The lawsuit was brought by labor unions and civil rights groups including the Service Employees International Union and the NAACP, with the Nov. 3 midterms just days away.