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Federal Judge Blocks Trump DOJ Threats Against Election Workers
Confirmed
In Short: A federal judge issued a sweeping order Friday night blocking the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials amid pressure tactics used in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
A federal judge issued a sweeping order Friday night blocking the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials amid pressure tactics used in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The order came in response to letters sent by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General just days before Election Day, which told officials they must preserve federal election records for 22 months under a decades-old federal law.
The Trump administration has been carrying out a plan to subvert the 2026 midterm elections with a goal of entrenching its power and escaping accountability from voters, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. The administration claimed sweeping constitutional authority under Article II and the so-called “unitary executive theory” to assert primacy over Congress, the courts, the federal bureaucracy, the media, universities, and civil society while incorporating elements of oligarchy and systemic corruption.
The Constitution gives no authority to presidents to control elections; instead, the Constitution gives states the primary power—with Congress as a backstop—to conduct free and fair elections. The Trump administration has seized unprecedented control over the federal government and is now executing a plan to subvert the 2026 midterm elections, determined to entrench its power and continue its policy agenda without accountability.
The Justice Department has issued federal grand jury subpoenas to California election officials as part of a criminal investigation into alleged noncitizen voting, ordering three Los Angeles County employees to testify one day after the November 3 midterm elections. This move is part of a broader strategy to disrupt and control elections to ensure that the administration and its allies remain in office.
The judge’s order also bars the Justice Department from demanding local election officials segregate or not count ballots that the federal government deems may have been cast by ineligible voters. U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote earlier this week that California gets to administer its own elections and decide how it wants to confirm citizenship status.
In the weeks ahead of the midterms, various cities and states across the country are reporting a notable rise in ICE activity, according to reports gathered by NPR and its member stations. This increased activity is seen as part of the administration’s broader strategy to intimidate and control election officials.
As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 33 million people have voted since early voting windows opened in some states over a month ago, according to tracking by the University of Florida’s Election Lab. Despite the administration’s efforts, voter turnout remains high, indicating a strong desire among citizens to participate in the democratic process.
The Center for American Progress report, titled “Trump’s First 100 Days: Creating an Imperial Presidency That Harms Americans,” highlights the administration’s efforts to dismantle traditional checks and balances and weaponize the government against perceived political enemies. The report warns that once these checks and balances are dismantled, the administration moves to disrupt and control elections to ensure its continued hold on power.
What this adds
The judge's order is a significant setback for the Trump administration's efforts to subvert the 2026 midterm elections. It underscores the importance of independent and trustworthy media outlets in safeguarding the democratic process, as highlighted by The Conversation.
Background
The Department of Justice on Thursday issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in California as part of its criminal investigation into the state's voter rolls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns issued a 16-page order blocking the Trump administration's new rule that would have imposed stricter work requirements on Medicaid recipients, siding with a coalition of more than two dozen states.
What's confirmed
- A federal judge issued a sweeping order Friday night blocking the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials amid pressure tactics used in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The order came in response to letters sent by the Office of the Deputy Attorney General just days before Election Day, which told officials they must preserve federal election records for 22 months under a decades-old federal law.
- The Trump administration has been carrying out a plan to subvert the 2026 midterm elections with a goal of entrenching its power and escaping accountability from voters, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. The administration claimed sweeping constitutional authority under Article II and the so-called “unitary executive theory” to assert primacy over Congress, the courts, the federal bureaucracy, the media, universities, and civil society while incorporating elements of oligarchy and systemic corruption.
- The Constitution gives no authority to presidents to control elections; instead, the Constitution gives states the primary power—with Congress as a backstop—to conduct free and fair elections. The Trump administration has seized unprecedented control over the federal government and is now executing a plan to subvert the 2026 midterm elections, determined to entrench its power and continue its policy agenda without accountability.
- The Justice Department has issued federal grand jury subpoenas to California election officials as part of a criminal investigation into alleged noncitizen voting, ordering three Los Angeles County employees to testify one day after the November 3 midterm elections. This move is part of a broader strategy to disrupt and control elections to ensure that the administration and its allies remain in office.
- The judge’s order also bars the Justice Department from demanding local election officials segregate or not count ballots that the federal government deems may have been cast by ineligible voters. U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote earlier this week that California gets to administer its own elections and decide how it wants to confirm citizenship status.
- In the weeks ahead of the midterms, various cities and states across the country are reporting a notable rise in ICE activity, according to reports gathered by NPR and its member stations. This increased activity is seen as part of the administration’s broader strategy to intimidate and control election officials.
- As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 33 million people have voted since early voting windows opened in some states over a month ago, according to tracking by the University of Florida’s Election Lab. Despite the administration’s efforts, voter turnout remains high, indicating a strong desire among citizens to participate in the democratic process.
- The Center for American Progress report, titled “Trump’s First 100 Days: Creating an Imperial Presidency That Harms Americans,” highlights the administration’s efforts to dismantle traditional checks and balances and weaponize the government against perceived political enemies. The report warns that once these checks and balances are dismantled, the administration moves to disrupt and control elections to ensure its continued hold on power.
What's still developing
- When announcing it, Trump said he would personally decide who is paid.
- A federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from pressuring election officials to reject certain ballots, finding its actions likely violated federal voting rights law.
- Multiple state election offices confirmed to Votebeat that they received identical letters dated Oct. 29 and signed by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.
- U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 11, 2026.
- The lawsuit which says playing the song amounts to an "unauthorised public performance" comes six years after the singer sued a different Trump organisation for playing the same song.
- During Trump's first White House term, Democrats rode a blue wave to take back the House majority by flipping 41 seats.
- Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday announced he is sending members home from Washington early for their seven-week campaigning recess ahead of the midterm elections, a move that will stave off a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- President Donald Trump said Monday night that he will no longer use taxpayer funds to pay for a multimillion-dollar pro-Trump ad blitz ahead of the midterm elections, saying his super PAC will now pay for them.
- President Donald Trump, in a campaign rally Monday night in Kansas ahead of next month’s midterm elections, said USDA would provide $8 billion in relief to farmers squeezed by soaring diesel prices.
- Indian authorities on Friday detained Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical youth movement "Cockroach Janta Party", ahead of a new protest in New Delhi, live images from the group showed.
- With half of the world’s population taking part in more than 80 national elections in 2024 – including European elections in June – independent and trustworthy media outlets are more vital than ever, and important steps are being taken to safeguard them.
- “It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election, thereby taking votes away from the REAL Senator, Dan Sullivan,” Trump wrote on Wednesday.