The Trump administration has launched a court action to block the confirmation of Alaska's Senate election result. The legal push aims to prevent the state from certifying a count that could hand the seat to a Democrat. Certification in Alaska is normally carried out by state officials once counting and review steps are complete. By going to court, the administration is trying to stop that process from being finished. A single Senate seat can matter for the balance of power in Washington, which is why the fight is being taken this far. Federal involvement in a state certification dispute of this kind is unusual. The legal arguments are likely to be tested in the coming days, and further delay of the outcome appears probable.