Democratic Party groups lost a bid to temporarily block the Trump administration from pressuring states to set aside mail-in ballots of people the US claims are likely non-citizens, a significant win for federal officials less than 24 hours before the midterm elections .
The judge held that the Democratic groups had not presented evidence that any state had segregated any ballots at the government’s request, depriving the groups of the legal standing necessary to win such an order at an early stage in the lawsuit. “At this stage in the litigation, however, Plaintiffs present no evidence demonstrating that any state has acquiesced and removed a voter from the rolls or segregated her ballot based on the Government’s letters. The ruling, which may be appealed, is a major setback for groups including the Democratic Senate and House campaign committees. They sued President Donald Trump and the Justice Department on Oct.
20, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the election.
“Had state officials capitulated in the face of the administration’s browbeating, this may well have been a different case,” the judge wrote.
