A federal judge has barred the Justice Department from threatening or coercing election workers to stop processing ballots, according to an Associated Press report carried by The Guardian. The report said the order was issued late Friday.

The Guardian's account said the order also bars the Justice Department from demanding that local election officials segregate or not count ballots that the federal government deems to be disputed. According to the same report, local officials cannot be forced to separate or stop counting those ballots.

Axios reported that a federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution for counting ballots cast by registered voters whom the administration claims are ineligible. In its coverage of the order, Axios described it as an emergency order issued four days before the midterms.

Axios also reported that the order prohibits federal pressure to sideline ballots based solely on allegations of ineligibility. The Axios summary is cut off before it finishes describing what the order requires of the Justice Department, so that element cannot be reported here.

The two accounts differ in emphasis. The Guardian's report centers on ballots the government deems disputed, while Axios centers on ballots the administration claims are ineligible. Both describe the order as limiting federal pressure to halt or sideline ballots, but the available summaries do not establish whether the two descriptions refer to the same group of ballots.

The available summaries do not say how the Justice Department or the Trump administration responded to the order, or what further proceedings are scheduled in the case.

Sources: The Guardian: Federal judge bars DoJ from threatening election workers to stop processing ballots; Axios: Judge blocks DOJ from threatening election workers before midterms.