The DOJ Just Picked a Fight With Alaska's Elections — and Legal Experts Aren't Buying It

The Justice Department is swinging at Alaska — and most legal experts say the punch is not going to land.

In a move that has stunned election law scholars, the DOJ has filed a formal challenge to Alaska's election procedures, taking aim at the state's voter-approved nonpartisan primary and ranked-choice voting system. The timing could not be more politically charged: midterm elections are weeks away.

Read nextDOJ Sues to Kill Alaska's Senate Race Result — And That's Just the Start of Today's News

Constitutional law professors are lining up to call the case weak. One prominent election law analyst described the DOJ's legal reasoning as "creative at best and frivolous at worst." Former Justice Department officials from both parties say the federal government has almost no precedent for this kind of intervention into state election design.

So why do it? Some observers believe Alaska is a test balloon. If the DOJ can establish a theory that the federal government has broad authority over how states structure their elections, it could open challenges in other states with nontraditional systems. Others see a more direct political motive, pointing to Alaska's fiercely independent electorate.

The election suit is not the only headline coming out of the Justice Department this week. Federal prosecutors have also brought criminal charges against two former senior FBI officials who had long been targets of criticism from allies of the current president. The charges are reportedly tied to alleged misconduct during their tenures, though notably not to the high-profile investigations that made them politically controversial. Civil liberties groups on both sides have reacted sharply, with some calling the prosecutions overdue accountability and others warning of a dangerous precedent.

Taken together, the Alaska case and the FBI charges paint a picture of a Justice Department on the offensive heading into the midterms — and one legal commentator argued this week that the real target is the architecture of oversight itself.

Meanwhile, a story of raw human pain broke through the political noise. The father of the individual who carried out a school shooting in Oregon spoke publicly for the first time. In a wrenching interview, he described learning what was happening and making the decision to go to the school himself. "I have to go in," he said. He does not ask for sympathy. He speaks with visible grief about the victims and about what he believes he missed. Experts say this kind of testimony from a perpetrator's parent is extraordinarily rare and could be valuable for understanding the warning signs of mass violence.

On the international front, the administration moved to ease trade tensions with Canada by lifting tariffs on selected goods, including certain agricultural products that had been driving up prices in border states. The relief is partial — significant barriers remain — but the gesture, paired with a US ambassador walking back accusations of Canadian election interference, signals a deliberate effort to cool relations before voters go to the polls.

Across the Atlantic, Ukraine's government flatly contradicted a claim by the president that restrictions on Ukrainian satellite access had been resolved. Kyiv says critical satellite services remain limited, affecting both military operations and civilian life. The gap between official statements and the reality on the ground continues to widen.

In Mississippi, a police officer who shot and killed a one-year-old boy in Senatobia has resigned, the mayor confirmed. Investigations are ongoing, and details remain scarce, but the case has already drawn national outrage.

And in Minneapolis, Representative Ilhan Omar was confronted at the Mall of Somalia by an individual demanding to know her "real name." Omar did not flinch, reaffirming her identity on camera — a moment that has reignited conversations about Islamophobia and the treatment of public officials in everyday spaces.

The hosts of AVONEWS — Daily News break down all of these stories and more in today's episode.