Federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit, allows Alaska Senate results certification

A federal judge on Sunday dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit that asked Alaska officials not to certify the 2022 Senate race results if incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski were to lose. The case, filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the former president, sought a preliminary injunction to halt certification pending a challenge to the state’s new ranked‑choice voting system. Judge John W. Sedgwick ruled the suit was premature and that the plaintiffs lacked standing to interfere with the state’s election process.

The lawsuit emerged after a tight contest between Murkowski and Democratic challenger Pat Mickelson, in which the former edged out a victory by less than 2,000 votes. Alaska had adopted a ranked‑choice voting format for the first time in 2022, a change the Trump administration argued violated the Constitution and could unfairly affect the outcome. The filing came weeks after the state’s canvassing board certified Murkowski’s win, prompting the DOJ to argue that certification should be paused until the legal challenges to the voting method were resolved. Critics said the move was