A federal judge on November 2 ordered the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump stopped threatening election officials who refused to follow its directives regarding the handling of ballots during the midterm elections on November 3.
In July, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent letters to all 50 states warning that election officials could face criminal liability if they allow non-U.S. citizens to participate in voting. Last month, the agency contacted cities in California, demanding that they identify illegal aliens on registered voter lists or potentially face legal action.
Subsequently, on Friday, October 30, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson, sitting in California, ruled that the Trump administration had acted beyond its constitutional authority and likely violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits "attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce" officials facilitating the voting process.
She noted: "Although the defendants claim their actions are intended to prevent illegal voting by non-citizens, those actions are likely to result in interference with election administration and the disenfranchisement of lawful voters."
Her decision came in response to a lawsuit filed a day earlier by a labor union and other groups, who accused the Trump administration of interfering in the administration of the midterm elections.
It should be noted that on October 30, the Trump administration lost an appeal against an earlier decision by another federal judge, which rejected the DOJ's request in California to block more than 20,000 ballots from non-citizens, asserting that it "violates constitutional principles requiring states to retain control over their elections."
Nevertheless, state election officials and Congressional Democrats are fully prepared for legal battles should the Trump administration attempt to interfere in the upcoming midterm election process.
