US judge bars justice dept from threatening election officials

A US federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Justice Department from threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution. According to Malay Mail, the order by Judge Trina Thompson in the Northern District of California prevents officials from being threatened or coerced into halting the processing of ballots for registered voters based solely on allegations that the individual is ineligible to vote.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit brought by labor unions and civil rights groups. The Hill reports that the order is connected to a case brought by unions representing California election workers and aims to stop the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on noncitizen voting. The Vibes notes the restriction specifically addresses demands concerning alleged non-citizen voters.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Malay Mail, The Vibes, The Hill — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.