A federal judge late Friday issued a sweeping order barring the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials as it engages in pressure tactics in the weeks leading up to next week’s midterm elections.
The eight-page order prohibits anyone who might “threaten, intimidate, or coerce a state or local election official or staff to stop processing the ballot of any registered voter simply because the ballot belongs to an accused individual.” [the administration] Not eligible to vote. “
“In the run-up to the election, senior DOJ and DHS officials engaged in a campaign to intimidate, threaten and coerce state and local officials and employees involved in administering the ongoing 2026 midterm elections,” U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson, who is based in California, wrote.
The order comes after states such as California and Washington were asked to separate ballots that the government said could be cast by noncitizens. This week, a California appeals court ruled against the government; the Washington case is pending.
“Despite defendants’ claims that their actions were intended to prevent non-citizens from illegally voting, their actions could interfere with election administration and disenfranchise lawful voters,” Thompson wrote Friday.
The judge’s order is in effect until Nov. 16, nearly two weeks after Election Day.