Judge orders DOJ to stop trying to "intimidate" California election officials

On Friday, a US federal judge temporarily halted the Justice Department from threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution for non-compliance with directives on processing ballots, according to a statement from the Northern District of California. The ruling by Judge Trina Thompson dealt a blow to Trump administration efforts to restrict voting for people it claims may not be US citizens in the November 3 midterm elections.

The judge's order stemmed from a case brought against the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security by labor union and civil rights groups. The judge's temporary restraining order barred the defendants from threatening, intimidating or coercing state or local election officials or workers into halting the processing of ballots from any registered voters deemed ineligible, as alleged by the defendants.

The judge also stated that the Justice Department officials "shall not threaten state or local election officials and workers with criminal prosecution for failure to comply" with such demands. The ruling comes as the Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, with critics accusing the Trump administration of attempting to cast doubt on election results.

Earlier this week, a federal judge rejected the Justice Department's attempt to invalidate over 20,000 California ballots from voters potentially ineligible to vote, describing the move as a brazen pre-election "interference." Judge Thompson described the "intimidation" and threats of criminal prosecution of election workers as "contrary to law" and "arbitrary and capricious."

In her extensive order, Thompson prohibited the defendants from demanding the removal of specific registered voters from voter lists, refusing to issue ballots to specific voters, or demanding ballots be excluded from counting due to alleged ineligibility.