Blanche disputed the suggestion that the lawsuit is politically motivated, despite President Donald Trump’s admission that he ordered the suit. When confronted with the fact that Sullivan is listed as the “(Registered Republican) Incumbent” on the ballot, Blanche stated, “I mean you’re not telling the truth, you’re not being honest with the voters!” He refused to disclose communications with the President, stating he would “never, ever, ever talk about communications” with the executive. The Justice Department requested that Alaska state boards “not certify an election result that may be impacted by voter confusion,” a definition the lawsuit ties to Sullivan losing the vote.
Alaska’s Supreme Court previously upheld lower court rulings that permitted both Sullivans to run in the same election. The current federal intervention is described as highly abnormal, as the Justice Department is rarely involved in election certification. The administration argues that if all votes cast for the other Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. were cast for Senator Sullivan, he would have won, implying the current result is tainted by confusion.
In a separate legal development affecting immigration rights, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 10–7 *en banc* decision stripping due process rights from hundreds of immigrants held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The court ruled that detainees with pending immigration hearings are not entitled to a bond hearing, where a judge could assess dangerousness and flight risk, regardless of the length of their detention.
This ruling blocks efforts by federal judges who have successfully ordered the release of ICE detainees in over 21,150 instances in the past year. Those judges argued that indefinite detention without bond violated constitutional due process rights, particularly for individuals with no criminal record. The Fifth Circuit’s decision, which follows an earlier ruling in February upholding ICE’s policy, effectively prevents federal judges from using due process arguments to mandate bond hearings for these detainees.
The immediate consequence of the Fifth Circuit’s ruling is the continued detention of thousands of immigrants without the possibility of judicial review for release. The Justice Department’s lawsuit in Alaska remains pending, with the next step being the state’s certification of the Senate election results. The Fifth Circuit’s decision is final for that circuit but may be subject to further appellate review at the Supreme Court level.
