Peltola asks judge to dismiss DOJ certification lawsuit

Alaska’s Democratic Senate nominee, Mary Peltola, asked a federal judge to dismiss the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit over her state’s Senate election, prompting a judge to expedite the case.

The lawsuit filed by the department last week claimed that the presence of a candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) could give Peltola an unfair advantage in the upcoming election.

In a court filing on Sunday, lawyers for Peltola’s campaign said the lawsuit marks an unlawful attempt by the federal government to intervene in election administration, Reuters reported .

“DOJ’s complaint is wholly baseless. The fact that DOJ nonetheless chose to file it raises profound constitutional concerns,” the lawyers wrote, according to the Reuters report.

Last week, the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause, represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a motion to intervene in the DOJ lawsuit. The motion listed Alaska voters Risé Roy and Jan Jakub Grzeda, the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause as the proposed intervenors.

“Proposed Intervenors have a strong interest in the certification of free and fair election results in the Alaska Senate contest,” the filing from the nonprofit organization read. “The relief the federal government seeks risks disenfranchising Alaska residents entirely.”

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason on Monday ordered to expedite the consideration of the case and gave the federal government until 5 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the motions filed by Peltola’s campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the proposed intervenors.

“The Court intends to issue a ruling by 5:00 p.m. on October 28, 2026,” the order said.

Additionally, if the court grants the motions to intervene, the government should be prepared to file a response by 5 p.m. on Thursday, the judge ordered.

The lawsuit filed by the DOJ, which President Trump said he directed to be filed , claimed Daniel J. Sullivan entered the Senate race “as a Republican with the intention of misleading” the incumbent senator’s supporters.

“Should Alaska certify any electoral results tainted by the inclusion on the ballot of Daniel J. Sullivan … the State and its officers will fail in its obligation to protect the integrity of its election,” the filing read.

Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a social media post over the weekend that with this lawsuit, the department is not trying to stop the certification of Alaska’s election but is instead seeking “to ensure that after Alaskans cast their ballots, they are preserved in a manner so that only Alaska’s governing officials have the information necessary to make a determination as to whether Alaskan voters were confused or mislead.”

The Hill reached out to Peltola’s campaign for comment.