Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Over Alaska Senate Race
A federal judge in Anchorage dismissed the Justice Department's suit seeking to halt certification of Alaska's Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
Two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on Tuesday's ballot.
Justice Department sought to segregate ballots cast for retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan.
Gleason dismissed the suit without leave to amend.
Gleason ruled that probing those ballots would violate Alaskans' right to a secret ballot.
Why it matters: Sullivan faces former Rep. Mary Peltola in a race that could decide Senate control. The ruling is a setback to the Trump administration's push for a larger federal role in elections.
Gleason wrote that the government offered no workable plan to preserve voter secrecy.
A federal judge in California also rejected a similar preemptive Justice Department request last week.
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Political Bias
Coverage by lean% of 44 sources
44 sources · 50 articles · 43% Right coverage
Where they split: The dispute is whether Peltola knew her aides helped recruit the second Sullivan, which Republicans say a New York Times report shows and she denies.
Center coverage, 11 sources: The center sees the ruling as the latest legal limit on the administration's effort to expand federal oversight of state-run elections.
Left coverage, 14 sources: The left sees the dismissal as a court rejecting what voting rights experts called an unprecedented federal intervention in a state election.
