US judge orders Justice Department to stop threatening election officials

A federal judge in California has issued an order instructing the US Department of Justice to cease threatening state and local election administrators with criminal prosecution regarding ballot processing. The ruling halts federal efforts to compel local officials to withhold or set aside specific ballots suspected by federal authorities of being cast by non-citizens.

The decision limits federal intervention in state-level election operations while legal proceedings continue. The Department of Justice had previously sought to prevent certain ballots from being processed, citing allegations regarding non-citizen voting eligibility. Local election administrators had expressed concern that federal pressure threatened to disrupt standard administrative workflows and compromise state authority over elections.

Sources: BBC News