--- title: "Alaska asks judge to dismiss Trump lawsuit over Senate race" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-01T16:25:15.470Z" source_reported: "2026-11-01T15:00:02.000Z" updated: "2026-11-01T17:15:19.142Z" trust_score: 66 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-01T17:15:19.047481+00:00" --- # Alaska asks judge to dismiss Trump lawsuit over Senate race *State government calls the Justice Department's demand to separate ballots 'meritless' and 'impossible'.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 66 of 100, higher is better. Trust 66 – named judge and AG cited filing and date/location; only one independent report, no additional sources. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95 – explains stakes, quotes officials, separates fact/comment, provides names/dates, outlines next steps clearly. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15 – language measured, no clickbait, headline matches article content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Alaska's Republican-led state government has urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. - The lawsuit seeks to stop the certification of the state's Senate race, citing confusion over two candidates named Dan Sullivan. - U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason has set a Saturday deadline for arguments on the dismissal request. - The Department of Justice has also announced a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas related to the lawsuit. Alaska's Republican-run state government has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Donald Trump's direction. The suit aims to stop the certification of the state's U.S. Senate race, particularly in the event of a Democratic win. The state's attorney general's office described the lawsuit as 'meritless' and 'impossible' to execute without violating voter privacy. The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, seeks to separate ballots cast for a second candidate named Dan Sullivan from those for incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan. The Department of Justice also announced a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas related to the case. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason has set a Saturday deadline for arguments on whether to dismiss the lawsuit. ## Disagreement on ballot separation The Department of Justice requested that ballots showing votes for the second Dan Sullivan be separated to determine if voters were misled. Alaska officials stated in their filing that this action is 'both disturbing and impossible' and would infringe on voter privacy. The state's filing also noted that the two candidates are distinguished on the ballot by party affiliation and incumbent status. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the Department of Justice's announcement of a criminal investigation or the issuance of subpoenas related to the lawsuit. The left and centre-rated reports all included this information. ## Who covered it Shares of the 16 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 56% (9) - Centre: 31% (5) - Right: 13% (2) 2 of 18 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-01T17:15:19.047481+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-01T17:45:21.690Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Nine left-rated reports led with Alaska's Republican-run state government urging a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Trump's direction. These reports highlighted the state's characterisation of the lawsuit as 'meritless' and 'impossible'. Several mentioned the Department of Justice's announcement of a criminal investigation and the issuance of subpoenas. Outlets in this section included The Independent, The Independent (US), Joe.My.God., NBC News, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Los Angeles Times, washingtonsun.com, The Seattle Times, and Associated Press News. ### Centre - Five centre-rated reports focused on the state government's request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. These reports noted the state's description of the demand to separate ballots as 'not even possible'. The outlets in this section were My Mother Lode, Attack of the Fanboy, Internewscast, Anchorage Daily News, and WKMG. Some mentioned the judge's deadline for arguments. ### Right - Two right-rated reports highlighted Alaska's rejection of the Trump DOJ request to separate disputed Senate ballots, framing it within an alleged Democratic election scheme. These reports included realnewsnow.com and la Nacion. The latter stated that 'Alaska officials moved to dismiss a federal lawsuit challenging election results; the state rejects federal oversight'. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 2 - high: 4 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 8 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-alaska-senate-race-lawsuit-dan-sullivan-b3077114.html) — Alaska attorneys urge court to toss Trump's 'meritless' Senate race lawsuit - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-alaska-senate-race-lawsuit-dan-sullivan-b3077114.html) — Alaska attorneys urge court to toss Trump's 'meritless' Senate race lawsuit - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/11/alaska-govt-suit-to-isolate-senate-ballots-is-meritless) — Alaska Govt: Suit To Isolate Senate Ballots Is Meritless - [Attack of the Fanboy](https://attackofthefanboy.com/news/not-every-wrong-can-be-righted-in-federal-court-alaskas-republican-run-state-government-fights-doj-bid-to-stall-certification-in-senate-race) — Why Is the DOJ Suing to Block Certification of Alaska’s Senate Race? - [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/alaska-officials-ask-judge-deny-trump-administrations-impossible-deman-rcna606765) — Alaska officials ask judge to deny Trump administration’s ‘impossible’ demand to set aside Senate ballots - [realnewsnow.com](https://realnewsnow.com/alaska-rejects-trump-doj-request-to-separate-disputed-senate-ballots-amid-alleged-democratic-election-scheme) — Alaska Rejects Trump DOJ Request to Separate Disputed Senate Ballots Amid Alleged Democratic Election Scheme - Real News Now - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/trump-seeks-to-toss-decoy-dan-alaska-senate-ballots) — Trump Seeks to Toss ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate Ballots - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/crime/trump-administration-opposes-dismissal-in-election-integrity-case-over-alaska-senate-race) — Trump Administration Opposes Dismissal in Election Integrity Case Over Alaska Senate Race - [Anchorage Daily News](https://adn.com/politics/2026/10/31/state-attorneys-call-trump-legal-demand-to-segregate-ballots-in-alaskas-senate-race-not-even-possible) — State attorneys call Trump legal demand to segregate ballots in Alaska’s Senate race ‘not even possible’ - [ORF.at News](https://orf.at/stories/3446730) — Name Veterans at Midterms: Alaska vs. Trump Klage - [Sueddeutsche Zeitung](https://sueddeutsche.de/politik/usa-news-liveblog-alaska-kongresswahlen-sullivan-trump-li.3568285) — USA News: Alaska's Republican Government Wants to Reject Trump's Law to Senate Election - [Los Angeles Times](https://latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-10-31/attorneys-for-gop-run-alaska-call-trump-ballot-demand-meritless) — Attorneys for GOP-run Alaska say 'meritless' Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots 'not even possible' - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/legal/alaska-officials-urge-judge-to-dismiss-trump-administration-certification-lawsuit) — Alaska Officials Urge Judge to Dismiss Trump Administration’s Certification Lawsuit - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/national/general-election/11270202/attorneys-for-alaska-say-meritless-trump-demand-to-set-aside-senate-ballots-not-even-possible.html) — Attorneys for Alaska say ‘meritless’ Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots ‘not even possible’ - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/attorneys-for-alaska-say-meritless-trump-demand-to-set-aside-senate-ballots-not-even-possible) — Attorneys for Alaska say ‘meritless’ Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots ‘not even possible’ - [la Nacion](https://lanacion.com.ar/usa/attorneys-for-alaska-say-meritless-trump-demand-to-set-aside-senate-ballots-not-even-possible-nid31102026) — Attorneys for Alaska say 'meritless' Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots 'not even possible' - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/alaska-senate-dan-sullivan-certification-5b975dc87222858f6239e9170d675698) — Attorneys for Alaska say 'meritless' Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots 'not even possible' - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/10/31/attorneys-for-alaska-say-meritless-trump-demand-to-set-aside-senate-ballots-not-even-possible) — Attorneys for Alaska say 'meritless' Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots 'not even possible' ## Questions **What is the lawsuit about?** The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice at President Trump's direction to stop the certification of Alaska's Senate race. It seeks to separate ballots cast for a second candidate named Dan Sullivan from those for incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, citing potential voter confusion. **What is Alaska's state government's position?** Alaska's Republican-run state government has urged a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it 'meritless' and 'impossible' to execute without violating voter privacy. They argue the ballot is designed to minimize confusion and that federal interference is unwarranted. **What action has the Department of Justice taken?** The Department of Justice announced a criminal investigation into the matter and issued subpoenas related to the lawsuit. They are seeking to halt the certification of the Senate race and have requested the separation of ballots for the two candidates named Dan Sullivan. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Alaska asks judge to dismiss Trump lawsuit over Senate race", https://mediabias.news/politics/alaska-asks-judge-to-dismiss-trump-lawsuit-over-senate-race