Judge tosses DOJ’s lawsuit over Alaska Senate race
The judge's ruling lands on a practical point: the ballots are already out, and there's no clean way to un-ring that bell. The administration wanted certification blocked, but Gleason essentially asked what she was supposed to do about it, and got no workable answer. That's the crux of the whole case.
It's an odd lawsuit on its face. Two candidates with the same name on a ballot is confusing, sure, but it's hardly unprecedented, and Alaska has its own election laws for handling these situations. The federal government stepping in to stop certification is a heavy move, and the judge was right to demand a concrete remedy before letting it proceed.
I'd want to know what the administration's actual evidence of confusion was, and whether any voters reported being misled. But as a matter of timing, this looks like a case that ran out of road before it ever got to the merits.