Judge finds Trump campaign responsible for voter suppression in Ohio


An Ohio judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order against Donald Trump's campaign in response to the Ohio Democratic Party's lawsuit claiming Trump supporters planned to "watch" and intimidate minority voters in certain regions of the state, The Associated Press reports. While the original lawsuit also accused the Ohio Republican Party, the state party was ultimately dismissed as a defendant because "there was insufficient evidence that the Ohio Republican Party itself was planning the voter intimidation," Cleveland civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra told ThinkProgress. "Clearly [the judge] thought there was enough evidence about the Trump campaign." The restraining order prevents individuals from intimidating and harassing voters, and anyone found to violate the order could face contempt of court.
Trump's campaign unsuccessfully tried to defend itself by saying it was "absurd" to argue that "essentially half of the electorate … is engaged in a 'conspiracy' to suppress voter turnout." "At one point during Friday's hearing, according to Chandra, Trump's lawyer also tried to allege that Trump's voter fraud message happens all the time. When the judge asked for an example, the lawyer walked back the claim," ThinkProgress writes.
Trump operative Roger Stone was named in the restraining order; his Stop the Steal super PAC has organized Trump supporters to monitor polls in areas with high minority populations.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump has been widely criticized for encouraging his supporters on multiple occasions to "watch" for other voters. "And when I say 'watch,' you know what I'm talking about, right?" Trump asked the crowd in Akron, Ohio, in August. "You know what I'm talking about."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from