Judge Trina Thompson temporarily barred the Justice Department from threatening election workers
U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson temporarily barred the Justice Department from threatening state and local election workers over ballot processing, including demands to withhold ballots cast by registered voters solely because the administration believes they are ineligible. The order lasts until Nov. 16. A court had earlier rejected the administration’s bid to set aside California ballots.
More context
A federal judge in California temporarily barred the Justice Department from threatening or coercing election workers over ballot processing, with the order in effect through November 16. District Judge Trina Thompson of the Northern District of California issued the order Friday in response to a suit by labor unions and civil rights groups against the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security.
The order bars actions that could pressure election workers to stop processing a registered voter’s ballot solely because the administration believes the voter is ineligible. Thompson wrote that high-ranking officials had engaged in “a campaign to intimidate, threaten, and coerce” election workers, and said the defendants’ actions were likely to disrupt the election and disenfranchise lawful voters.
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Reporting
- Los Angeles Times — Justice Department can't threaten election workers to stop processing ballots, judge rules - Los Angeles Times
- Malay Mail — US judge bars DOJ from intimidating election officials over non-citizen voting claims | Malay Mail
- NewsCord — Federal Judge Trina Thompson Bars Trump DOJ From Threatening Election Workers Ahead Of 2026 Midterms: how 9 outlets framed it | NewsCord
- Around Prague — US court bars threats against election officials until Nov. 16
- The Daily Beast — Judge Humiliates Rabid Trump Goons Threatening Election Officials
Verifier’s note
The Los Angeles Times, Malay Mail, NewsCord, Around Prague, and The Daily Beast all describe a federal judge’s order barring threats or coercion against California election officials over ballot processing. The reports match the proposed event and timing; the latter three accounts beyond the Los Angeles Times and Daily Beast appear derivative or aggregated.