U.S. judges have denied requests from the Republican-led states of Missouri and Texas to block the federal government from sending lawyers to their states on Election Day to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws.

Both states are among the 27 that the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said it would send staff out to monitor at voting locations, as it has done regularly during national elections.

Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the DOJ early on Tuesday to confirm that “no observers” would be present in polling locations in Texas but denied issuing the restraining order the state had requested.

“The Court cannot issue a temporary restraining order without further clarification on the distinction between ‘monitoring’ and ‘observing’ on the eve of a consequential election,” Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, said in the ruling.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had earlier said that sending monitors “infringes on States’ constitutional authority to run free and fair elections.”

    • osaerisxero
      6•11 hours ago

      He did the right thing in this case though? I think you’re thinking of the other one from yesterday. Arizona?

      • @[email protected]
        2•6 hours ago

        The judge is only making this ruling because he made the Feds promise NOT to send monitors. The states won here, the bitch ass judge just doesn’t want to set a precedent (directly in contradiction with the law).

    • @[email protected]English
      11•12 hours ago

      We need better escalation triggers and mechanisms for judicial oversight and removal from the bench. We have a major judiciary problem and it is enabling rot in every state in the Union.