Democratic Party groups lost a bid to temporarily block the Trump administration from pressuring states to set aside mail-in ballots of people the US claims are likely non-citizens, a significant win for federal officials less than 24 hours before the midterm elections.
Judge finds insufficient grounds for intervention
US Chief District Judge James Boasberg in Washington on Monday denied a request to temporarily block the Justice Department from asking state election officials to set aside the votes of potentially tens of thousands of people on lists that Democrats suspect the US is preparing to send to multiple states.
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Deep Dive
What did the judge decide in the Democrats’ challenge to the Trump administration’s ballot efforts?
Why did the judge reject the Democrats’ request to block the ballot effort?
Did the Supreme Court let the Trump administration block California from counting the disputed ballots?
The judge held that the Democratic groups had not presented evidence that any state had segregated any ballots at the government’s request, depriving the groups of the legal standing necessary to win such an order at an early stage in the lawsuit.
Campaign committees suffer court setback
“Had state officials capitulated in the face of the administration’s browbeating, this may well have been a different case,” the judge wrote. “At this stage in the litigation, however, Plaintiffs present no evidence demonstrating that any state has acquiesced and removed a voter from the rolls or segregated her ballot based on the Government’s letters.”
{{/usCountry}}“Had state officials capitulated in the face of the administration’s browbeating, this may well have been a different case,” the judge wrote. “At this stage in the litigation, however, Plaintiffs present no evidence demonstrating that any state has acquiesced and removed a voter from the rolls or segregated her ballot based on the Government’s letters.”
{{/usCountry}}The ruling, which may be appealed, is a major setback for groups including the Democratic Senate and House campaign committees. They sued President Donald Trump and the Justice Department on Oct. 20, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the election.
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Elias Law Group, which represents the Democratic groups, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.