Alaska asks federal judge to dismiss DOJ lawsuit over Senate race certification
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The Facts
- Alaska’s Republican-led government asked a federal judge to dismiss the Justice Department’s Senate-certification lawsuit.
- The lawsuit was filed by the Justice Department at President Donald Trump’s direction.
- The Justice Department seeks to halt certification of a possible Senate win by Democrat Mary Peltola.
- The lawsuit asks the court to determine whether voters were confused by another candidate’s presence on the ballot.
- Alaska state attorneys said the requested ballot remedy is not legally possible.
- Judge Sharon L. Gleason set a deadline for arguments on dismissing the case without a hearing.
Context
What does the Justice Department lawsuit seek?
It asks the court to halt certification of a possible victory by Democrat Mary Peltola while determining whether voters were confused by another candidate on the ballot. U.S. News & World R… NY Post Internewscast Journ…
What is Alaska’s position?
The state attorney general’s office asked for dismissal, arguing that the lawsuit lacks merit and that the requested ballot remedy cannot legally be carried out. Los Angeles Times NY Post Internewscast Journ…
What happens next?
Judge Sharon L. Gleason is considering arguments over whether to dismiss the case without holding a hearing. Los Angeles Times U.S. News & World R… Internewscast Journ…
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Alaska's own Republican-led government told the court that the ballot remedy Trump's DOJ is seeking is not legally possible, a point neither side disputes.
- Where Left and Right split
- The left and the right split on whether an impossible remedy ends the case or just the relief sought.
- Why they won’t converge
- The two sides split on trust in institutions: one treats the state's own election officials as the final word on what is legally possible, the other insists a confusion claim still warrants independent judicial review regardless of the administering state's position.
- Watch for
- Judge Gleason will rule on the Alaska attorney general's request to dismiss the lawsuit without a hearing, based on arguments submitted by the Saturday deadline.AccessWDUN, Internewscast Journal, The Washington Sun
How left and right read it
A suit filed at the president's direction asks a court to halt certification of a possible win by Mary Peltola on a theory of voter confusion, yet Alaska's own Republican-led government told Judge Gleason the remedy sought is not legally possible. That answer should settle it. If the state administering the election says the ask cannot be done, what is left for the court to weigh?
Voters deserve to know whether the ballot they were handed was honest before anyone stamps a result final. That is the question the suit puts before Judge Gleason — whether another candidate's presence on the ballot confused voters. Alaska's attorneys answer that the remedy cannot be granted, but the confusion claim still deserves adjudication on its merits. Decide it first; certify after.
“Here's the latest on the 'Decoy Dan' scandal in the ongoing Alaska Senate race:” — New York Post
Alaska says the fix DOJ wants can't happen. The fight now is whether that ends the case or just the remedy.
The receipts — 18 sources
Wire services (11)
Independent coverage (7)
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