Federal judge dismisses US government lawsuit against certification in Alaska

A federal judge in Alaska on Sunday, 1 November 2026, dismissed a lawsuit by the US Justice Department over the Senate election. CBS News reported this in an entry at 13:46 East Coast time, 19:46 CET.

The department had sought a preliminary injunction. It would have blocked the certification of the Senate election if the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses to the Democrat Mary Peltola. The background is a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot, according to CBS a teacher and independent candidate. The department accused him of running with the same name and the same party label, and saw this as a deliberate attempt to confuse voters in Peltola's favor.

Judge Sharon L. Gleason based the dismissal, in a 20-page order, on a lack of standing. The government had not shown that a ruling could remedy the alleged harm. Whether the department will appeal has not been confirmed. The docket can be viewed at CourtListener.

For now, this changes nothing about the timeline. On election night Alaska reports only first preferences, the ranked-choice count follows on 18 November, certification on 25 November. More under counting.