Judge Blocks Trump Administration Pressure on Election Officials
Judge Trina Thompson issued an emergency order barring the Justice Department and Homeland Security from threatening election officials over ballot processing and voter roll purges.
U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson issued a sweeping emergency order on Friday halting a pressure campaign by the Trump administration against state and local election officials. The temporary restraining order prohibits the United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from demanding that officials segregate ballots, purge voter rolls, or halt ballot processing for individuals alleged to be ineligible to vote.
Judge Thompson blocked threats of criminal prosecutions against officials administering the 2026 midterm elections, ruling that the government's actions were "arbitrary and capricious" and "contrary to law." The order, which expires November 16, follows a lawsuit by a coalition of labor unions and civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens, who allege the administration violated the Voting Rights Act.
The conflict stems from a Department of Homeland Security data-matching operation used to identify suspected noncitizens on voter lists, which officials claim is unreliable. This ruling follows a separate federal court decision that blocked the Justice Department from setting aside more than 20,000 California ballots, an attempt the court described as pre-election "interference."
