A US federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to ban prosecution threats against state and local election officials, in cases when they refuse to comply with the administration’s demands concerning voters allegedly not American citizens.
The decision was made Friday, just days before the US elections, which will determine which party will control the US Congress.
Federal Judge Trina Thompson estimated that the Department of Justice had surpassed its competencies by threatening criminal prosecution officials who did not co-operate with the administration’s initiatives for monitoring the election process.
The Trump administration had urged states to hand over voter registration data, arguing that stricter measures are needed to ensure the security and credibility of the elections, writes NBC News.
However, the judge ordered the administration not to ask local officials to remove voters from the census lists, to refuse the ballot of designated persons or to share them on the basis of administration lists for persons allegedly not American citizens.
In its decision, Thompson stressed that public interest requires officials and election employees can carry out their duty in accordance with federal laws and election procedures.
The decision came after a lawsuit filed by election workers’ unions and several other organisations. Critics, including political experts and officials from both parties, Democratic and Republican, have described the administration’s actions as excessive federal interference in election processes.
The Justice Department has not immediately commented on the verdict.
Trump, in the past, has made false claims regarding elections, including refusing to accept defeat in the 2020 presidential elections.
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Source Layer: Signal