ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Justice Department wasted no time on Sunday. Within hours of losing its Alaska Senate lawsuit, it filed a notice of appeal, CNN reported.
The department responded with a statement.
“Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes.”
The order, from U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason, ran 20 pages and was issued earlier Sunday. It dismissed the case without prejudice. She ruled the United States had no standing to bring the case, and that the relief it sought could not be granted without breaching Alaskans’ right to a secret ballot. She refused to let the government amend its complaint again, calling another attempt futile, and ordered the case closed.
The government had argued Daniel J. Sullivan’s name on the ballot would confuse voters. It said some votes intended for Sen. Dan Sullivan could go to the other Sullivan instead. That, it argued, raised a chance Mary Peltola would win even if most Alaskans wanted the senator. Tuesday’s ballot lists all four candidates. Voters will rank them under Alaska’s ranked-choice system.
After landing in Iowa for a Sunday campaign rally, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters. The ruling, he said, had not reached him yet. He called the case “one of the most meritful things.” He also called it a “very important lawsuit,” CNN reported.
From here the case goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Bloomberg Law reported. Whether that court will act before Tuesday’s election was not yet known Sunday evening. What relief the Justice Department will ask it for was also not yet known.
Also Read: Judge Dismisses U.S. Suit Over Alaska’s Two Senate Sullivans
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