US judge orders Justice Department to stop threatening California election workers with prosecution

Who's saying what

• Unions and civil rights groups

  SEIU, AFSCME, LULAC and the NAACP sued, arguing that the threats were voter intimidation under Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act.²

• Judge Trina Thompson

  She found the record shows the defendants "intimidated, threatened, or coerced election workers" and that their actions likely went beyond federal authority, noting that election day "is only a couple of days away".¹²

• Trump administration

  The administration has said its push for voter-registration data and closer oversight of elections is about election security and public confidence. The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the ruling.¹

What's next

The order runs until 16 November, with a hearing on a longer injunction set for 13 November. The Justice Department could appeal and seek an emergency stay before election day.²

The full story

The ruling is one of several court fights over how the federal government is policing the 3 November midterms. Federal officials had pressed California to set aside about 20,000 ballots from registered voters they suspect may not be citizens, and had warned election workers they could be prosecuted for counting them. Judge Thompson's order also requires officials to tell the governments that received the letters that the demands are blocked, and requires the Justice Department to disclose pending warrants or subpoenas seeking election materials about allegedly ineligible voters.

checked Oct 31, 2026