Federal Judge Blocks DOJ Suit Over Alaska Senate Election Certification
Judge Sharon Gleason ruled the Justice Department lacked standing to halt the counting of votes due to two similarly named candidates.
By Henry Wilson ·
U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rejected a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration on Sunday. The suit sought to prevent Alaska state officials from certifying the results of the state’s U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Gleason determined that the federal government does not have the legal authority to bring this specific type of claim. The ruling came after the Justice Department cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act in its filing.
The government asked the court to stop state officials from certifying election results. This pause would allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by the presence of two candidates with similar names on the ranked-choice ballot. Those candidates are Sen. Dan Sullivan and Daniel Sullivan Jr., an independent candidate. Gleason concluded that a court order freezing the certification process would likely violate the right of Alaskan voters to cast a secret ballot. She noted that the United States failed to explain how its requested relief could fix its alleged injury while keeping the ballot secret.
The Justice Department plans to appeal the decision. Kiersten Pels, a department spokesperson, stated that Alaskan voters deserve a fair election and should not be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes. Voting rights groups that intervened to defend Alaska against the suit welcomed the ruling. Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, called the lawsuit a lawless attempt to silence hundreds of thousands of voters. She described the legal effort as a reckless waste of taxpayer money that aimed to throw out results before a single ballot was counted.
President Trump said he ordered the lawsuit because two of the four Senate candidates on the ballot share the name Sullivan. The Alaska Republican Party previously tried to keep Daniel Sullivan Jr. off the ballot in state court. However, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that the independent candidate has the right to run. Republican claims that Democrats supported Sullivan Jr. to spoil the incumbent’s chances have weighed on the race. A New York Times report regarding Democratic campaign efforts to recruit Sullivan Jr. drew new attention to these allegations, though NPR has not independently confirmed the report.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered a state investigation into the race. He indicated on October 30 that the state may not certify the results depending on how that investigation turns out. Dunleavy told NewsNation that if wrongdoing is found, the certification may be stopped or changed. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed during a press conference in Anchorage on October 30 that the Justice Department is conducting an ongoing criminal probe. Former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate, has denied any involvement in recruiting Sullivan Jr.
Sen. Dan Sullivan said in a Sunday interview with CNN that he will accept the election results regardless of the outcome. The legal dispute has not stopped voters from participating. According to the Alaska Division of Elections, more than 86,700 voters have already cast ballots during early voting. Voting continues through Election Day on Tuesday.
Source: KHPR
