Judge sets countdown on Sanders’s DNC lawsuit

Bernie Sanders has been given a three-day warning to show cause in his lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) or a federal judge could throw out the case.

The Democratic presidential hopeful sued the DNC in December, arguing the party unfairly shut him out from voter information because a Sanders staffer improperly accessed rival Hillary Clinton’s campaign data. The DNC restored that access shortly after, but Sanders did not withdraw his lawsuit, which also asks for $75,000 in damages, and it remains alive in federal court. 

A new order from Judge Tanya Chutkan notes that the Sanders camp never served the DNC with the lawsuit and demands that his team explain by Thursday why the case should continue. The order adds that “failure to effectuate service or to satisfactorily respond to the present order by [Thursday], may result in the dismissal of this action, without further notice.”

In December, the campaign accused the party of siding with Clinton against Sanders by temporarily restricting its access to shared voter data, warning the decision could cripple his bid. Sanders aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Tad Devine, a top Sanders staffer, told The Hill late last year that the campaign was still attempting to work out an agreement with the party.