U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason on Sunday dismissed the Justice Department's suit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate race if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses, Reuters, AP and Alaska Public Media reported. In a 20-page order, Gleason found that the United States "has failed to establish the redressability prerequisite for Article III standing," CBS News reported. She wrote that the government "provides no workable plan as to how it proposes to segregate ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan." The department said it will appeal, Reuters reported. AP reported that a notice of appeal was filed shortly after the ruling.
The ruling leaves Alaska's count to the state's own process, for now, two days before the vote.
The department sued Oct. 22. It asked the court to halt certification if votes for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher with no party, could change the result, and to preserve and set aside those ballots, Alaska Public Media reported. He won about 2.5 percent in the August primary and advanced to Tuesday's ranked-choice general election, AP reported. Gleason called the relief "infeasible" because many Alaskans had already voted, AP reported. She cited the Purcell principle, which warns federal courts against late rule changes.
- The court ruled on standing and feasibility, not on who recruited the second Sullivan.
- A federal criminal inquiry continues; no one has been charged, CBS News reported.
- Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered a separate state investigation, Yahoo News reported.
The principals are Gleason, the Justice Department, Sen. Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola, Dunleavy and Alaska's Department of Law. Alaska voters, and the Senate majority, are affected.
Disputedwhether the suit protected voters from confusion or reached into an election the state runs.
- Department framing: "Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes," a spokesperson said, AP reported; the department called the dismissal procedural.
- Incumbent framing: Sullivan said he expects to "lose a lot of votes to that trickery," and told CNN, "I'm going to accept the election results," AP reported.
- Challenger framing: Peltola said, "I am not interested in tricking voters," AP reported.
- State framing: Alaska's Republican-led Department of Law called the suit "meritless," and spokesperson Sam Curtis said placing candidates on the ballot "is a matter of state law, not federal law," Yahoo News reported.
- Voting-rights framing: "The rule of law held," said Ari Savitzky of the ACLU, which intervened for voters.
The RecordThe order rests on standing and on whether the relief could work. It makes no finding on voter confusion or on who recruited the second candidate. A New York Times report said people tied to Peltola's campaign helped recruit him; Peltola denies it, and Reuters said it had not verified the report. Confidence that the case was dismissed: certain. Confidence about the recruitment account: low.
What to watch: A Ninth Circuit filing or emergency motion. Tuesday's count and Alaska's ranked-choice tabulation, which can run for weeks. Whether Dunleavy certifies the result.
Sources: ACLU, Alaska Public Media, AP, CBS News, Reuters, Washington Examiner, Yahoo News
What we read ▾What we read ▴
- ACLUnot on the map
Voting rights groups win case to protect Alaska's election certification → - Alaska Public Medianot on the map
Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit that sought to block election results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses → - APLean Left
Sullivan claims Peltola is still lying about campaign's involvement in Alaska ballot controversy → - CBS NewsLean Left
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2026 midterm elections live updates: Latest news, results, and analysis → - Yahoo NewsLean Left
Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking to block Alaska Senate certification if GOP's Dan Sullivan loses →
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