Federal Court Blocks DOJ Effort to Halt Alaska Senate Certification

A federal judge in Alaska has ruled that the Trump administration cannot block the certification of results in the state's U.S. Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason issued the decision on Sunday, determining that the federal government did not have the legal authority to bring the lawsuit.

The Justice Department had sought a court order to stop state officials from certifying the election. The filing argued that voters might have been confused because two candidates on the ranked-choice ballot shared similar names. The administration cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act to support its request for an investigation into voter confusion.

Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, concluded that the requested relief would likely violate Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot. She noted that the United States did not explain how its proposed remedy could fix the alleged injury while preserving ballot secrecy. The ruling dismissed the government's attempt to intervene before the state completed its certification process.

The controversy began after an earlier effort in state court failed to remove Daniel Sullivan Jr. from the ballot. In June, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the non-incumbent candidate had the right to run against Sen. Dan Sullivan. President Trump stated that he ordered the federal lawsuit because the two Sullivans' similar names created a risk of voter error.

Alaska Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered a separate investigation and suggested that state certification could be delayed or altered based on those findings. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman announced an ongoing criminal probe by the Justice Department during a press conference in Anchorage on October 30. The Democratic candidate, former Rep. Mary Peltola, has denied any involvement in recruiting Sullivan Jr.

The Justice Department plans to appeal the decision. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels stated that Alaskan voters deserve a fair election and should not be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, criticized the DOJ's effort as a reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing voters.

Voting continues through Tuesday, November 3. More than 86,700 voters have already cast ballots during early voting, according to the Alaska Division of Elections. Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan said on Sunday that he will accept the election results regardless of the outcome.