Judge fast-tracks DOJ suit over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans, could rule this week

A federal judge in Alaska has put the Justice Department's lawsuit over the state's U.S. Senate race on an emergency schedule. Judge Sharon Gleason issued the order on Monday, Oct. 26 ¹. Newsweek reports the timetable could let her toss the suit or let it proceed before the weekend ¹.

Gleason also agreed to fast-track consideration of requests to join the case. They come from Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign and from the League of Women Voters of Alaska ¹.

On tapeCBS News · Oct 26

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What the Justice Department wants

The department sued last week. It wants to block certification of the Senate result if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan does not win ¹. The block would apply only if he would have won had every vote for namesake challenger Daniel J. Sullivan gone to him instead. Alaska's ranked-choice system, where voters rank candidates in order, would be used to work that out ¹.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the department does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast. He said it also does not seek to stop certification of Alaska's election ². The suit's own language says there is a "substantial likelihood that a certification of the election will reflect an electoral process that lacked integrity." ²

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

Alaskans, apparently, must elect Senator Dan S. Sullivan or the President will not let them elect anyone at all

Alaska's election officials push back

The state officials named as defendants defended the ballots in a separate filing on Monday. They said they printed them "without legal challenge" in the months before voting opened ¹. Early voting began Oct. 19 for most of Alaska ¹.

The officials said they designed the ballot to distinguish the two men as much as possible. They pointed to different middle initials, the Jr. in Daniel J.'s name, Dan versus Daniel, and the word Incumbent beside the senator's name ¹.

On tapeKUTV 2 News Salt Lake City · Oct 27

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They also argued that the United States "has no legal authority over how candidates secure their place on the ballot in state elections." ¹ The state Supreme Court had already overturned the election board's decision to block the challenger from the ballot ¹.

Democrats and voting groups ask for dismissal

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked to intervene and to have the suit dismissed ². They argue the National Voter Registration Act does not govern who appears on a ballot ². They also say the Alaska Supreme Court already settled the namesake's place on it ².

The campaign told the court it wants to stop Trump and Blanche from using the suit to "falsely suggest that there is doubt about the lawfulness of Alaska's election results." ¹ Voting rights groups called the suit "frivolous" and asked the court to consider sanctions against the attorneys who filed it ¹.

Lu-Anne Haukaas Lopez of the ACLU of Alaska, which also moved to intervene, put it this way: "In Alaska, Alaskan voters choose our elected officials, not the president." ²

Why it matters

This is analysis. Certification is the routine step that makes vote counts official. A federal lawsuit that tries to condition it on who wins is unusual, and the fast schedule means a judge will weigh it before most votes are counted. Election Day is Nov. 3 ¹.

What happens next is Gleason's ruling on who may join the case and whether the suit goes forward. I could not confirm the full day-by-day schedule from the reports I reviewed ¹.

The Record

1. Oct 19, 2026Early voting began for most of Alaska ¹.
2. Oct 26, 2026Judge Sharon Gleason set an emergency schedule in the Justice Department's Senate certification suit ¹.
3. Nov 3, 2026Election Day in Alaska and across the country ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Judge Fast-Tracks Alaska Election Legal Fight as Officials Defend Ballots” (2026-10-27). newsweek.com/alaska-election-lawsuit-judge-fast-tracks-offic
2. Anchorage Daily News, “Peltola and Democrats file motion to stop Trump administration from blocking election results” (2026-10-24). adn.com/politics/2026/10/24/peltola-and-democrats-file-motio

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