A federal judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to stop threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution over their handling of voter qualification disputes.
U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson also ordered the Trump administration to stop requiring election officials to remove voters from statewide voter rolls, refuse to issue ballots to specific voters, or separate ballots cast during midterms based on the administration’s claims that some voters are ineligible.
“Because the public has a paramount interest in ensuring that election officials and workers are able to perform their jobs in accordance with federal law and election procedure, and because official Election Day is only days away, the balance of equity and the public interest weigh in favor of plaintiffs. » Thompson wrote.
Thompsona Biden appointee based in San Francisco, posted temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by the Service Employees International Union and other groups. Its directive also requires the DOJ to contact any state or local officials who have received warnings about possible lawsuits and inform them that “demands and threats of lawsuits against election officials and workers…have been prohibited.”
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