US judge issues restraining order against Justice Department over election threats

Washington: A US federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution if they fail to comply with its directives on processing ballots.

The order by Judge Trina Thompson in the Northern District of California deals a setback to Trump administration efforts to restrict voting by people it says might not be US citizens in the November 3 midterm elections.

The harshly worded temporary restraining order was issued in response to a case brought by labor union and civil rights groups against the Justice Department.


"Defendants shall not threaten, intimidate or coerce state or local elections officials or workers to demand that they halt processing the ballots of any registered voter solely on the basis that the ballot belongs to an individual alleged by Defendants to be ineligible to vote," Thompson wrote.

The judge also ruled that Justice Department officials "shall not threaten state or local election officials and workers with criminal prosecution for failure to comply" with such demands.

President Donald Trump's Republican Party is at risk of losing its control of Congress in next Tuesday's elections, and critics have accused his administration of trying to cast doubt on electoral results.

On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected the Justice Department's efforts to set aside the ballots of more than 20,000 California voters it said might not be citizens, slamming the move as brazen pre-election "interference."