A US judge has issued an order to the Department of Justice, ordering it to stop threatening state and local election officials in the case of their non-compliance with the Trump administration’s voting-related demands.
The judge’s order came days before the US’ most consequential midterm elections starting from November 3.
The elections will determine who will, Democrats or Republicans, control Congress. Although several races will be head-to-head competitive, it appears that Democrats will sweep the House.
In the months prior to midterms, the Trump administration has adopted an aggressive approach against officials and states , such as ordering states for voter registration data.
To make the matter worse, the administration threatened to prosecute states if they don’t cooperate with election-related demands.
Judge Trina Thompson wrote in her temporary restraining order, “Because the public has a paramount interest in ensuring that election officials and workers are able to carry out their work in accordance with federal law and election procedure, and the official day of the Elections is only a couple of days away, the balance of the equities and public interest weigh in Plaintiffs’ favor.”
Under the ruling, the administration cannot require local election officials to remove voters from statewide voter rolls, refuse ballots to specific voters and segregate ballots cast during the midterms.
Neither White House nor the DOJ responded to the order.
