News in brief

By The Associated Press

Judge orders pause on program that offers legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens

McALLEN, Texas | A federal judge in Texas has issued a temporary pause on the Biden administration’s new protections that would allow immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens a path to citizenship.

The order Monday by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes after 16 states, led by Republican attorneys general, challenged the program in a lawsuit filed last week.

President Joe Biden launched the program in June and the application process has been open for a week. The policy offers spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status, who meet certain criteria, a path to citizenship by applying for a green card and staying in the U.S. while undergoing the process.

Democrats sue to block Georgia election rules

ATLANTA | Georgia’s Democratic Party is suing to block two recent rules adopted by the State Election Board. The lawsuit argues the rules could be used by county officials to refuse to certify an election, potentially causing delays in finalizing the state’s results.

Democrats say the rules violate a state law that makes certification a mandatory duty. They’re asking a judge to find the rules invalid because the State Election Board is exceeding its legal authority.

It’s a battle in yet another state over certifying results, long an administrative afterthought. Pro-Trump Republicans argue the rules just reinforce a county election board’s existing duty to thoroughly examine election results.

—From AP reports