SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security may not threaten election workers with criminal prosecution over ballots from voters the administration says may not be eligible to vote. The ruling came four days before the Nov. 3 midterms.
U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson, of the Northern District of California, signed the temporary restraining order late Friday in Service Employees International Union v. U.S. Department of Justice, a case filed the same day the order issued. The order remains in effect through Nov. 16.
The Justice Department declined to comment, and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to reporting from The Associated Press carried by Workers Rights News. The ruling lands in the final stretch of a campaign in which the accuracy of voter rolls and the handling of ballots from voters whose eligibility is questioned have been running arguments between the administration and its critics.
The order also directs the departments to notify states that the threats are blocked while the order is in effect.
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