Judge rules federal government lacks standing to block Alaska Senate certification

A federal judge in Alaska dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration on Sunday. The suit sought to stop state officials from certifying the results of the U.S. Senate race. The administration argued that voters may have been confused by two candidates with similar names on the ballot.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the federal government does not have the legal standing to bring this case. The Justice Department had cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act in its complaint. Gleason found that a court order pausing certification would likely violate the right to a secret ballot.

The judge noted that the United States did not explain how its requested relief would fix the alleged injury while keeping the ballot secret. She wrote that this lack of explanation was telling. Gleason is a nominee of former President Barack Obama.

The lawsuit targeted the presence of two candidates with similar surnames on the Alaska ballot. The Republican incumbent is Sen. Dan Sullivan. The other candidate is Daniel Sullivan Jr., who is not affiliated with a political party. President Trump said he ordered the lawsuit because of the potential for voter confusion between these two names.

The Justice Department plans to appeal the ruling. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels said Alaskan voters deserve a fair election and should not be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes. The department has also indicated that an ongoing criminal probe is part of the broader scrutiny on the race.

Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project, called the lawsuit lawless from the start. She described it as a reckless waste of taxpayer money aimed at silencing hundreds of thousands of voters. Lakin noted that the attempt to throw out results before a single ballot was counted was unusual.

The controversy began after the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that Daniel Sullivan Jr. had the right to run. That decision followed an earlier state court effort by the Alaska Republican Party to keep him off the ballot. Republican allegations that Democrats supported Sullivan Jr. to spoil the incumbent's chances have persisted throughout the campaign.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a state-level investigation and said certification might be delayed depending on the findings. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed an ongoing federal criminal probe at a press conference in Anchorage on Oct. 30. Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that he would accept the election results regardless of the outcome. More than 86,700 voters cast ballots during early voting before Election Day on Tuesday.