This is a free sample of my member-only emails

When I started Democracy Docket in 2020, I never envisioned it would grow as fast or become as big as it has. At every stage, our loyal subscribers have grown along with us. When we added paid content in early March, I wondered if people would join as premium members. In our first month we more than doubled our expectations. Already, this has allowed us to hire more writers and expand our free and premium offerings.

Now, as we send out my second State of Democracy, I want to thank all of you who have been with us from the beginning and particularly those who have become premium members. Without your support Democracy Docket would not be what it is today. So, thank you. If you have not yet become a member, consider joining today for $10/month — if you’re not ready or able to make that commitment, you can still enjoy our free daily and weekly newsletters.

We have big plans in store for the coming months with faster breaking news, deeper insights and more content. Especially as we approach the critical 2024 election, if you aren’t paying attention to the courts, you aren’t paying attention to democracy.

Now, let’s get into it!

Nearly everywhere you turn the people are fixated on litigation and the courts.

Trump is currently a defendant in four separate criminal cases, one of which is currently in trial. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments about his dubious claim of presidential immunity. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs and state court rulings in Alabama, Arizona and Florida have created a political firestorm. Trump’s obsession with election denialism has meant a flood of litigation over the rules of voting and vote counting in 2024.

With six months until Election Day, the state of our democracy is in the hands of judges in ways we have never before experienced. Sure, Bush v. Gore likely decided the outcome of the 2000 election, but that consumed only a few weeks after the voting was concluded.

There has never been a presidential election where for weeks and months leading up to voting, we are collectively more focused on what is happening in courthouses than in campaign rallies. But then again, there has never been a candidate like Donald Trump. Let’s hope after 2024, there never is one again.

In this month’s edition of State of Democracy I dive into:

• How is Trump’s trial different from all other trials? As the youngest child, I (of course) have four questions.

  
  

• The real MAGA: Make Attorneys Get Attorneys. The 2020 cast of characters continues to face problems keeping their law licenses.

  
  

• Enough with the Exodus, let’s talk Numbers. I’ll give you litigation numbers you can trust.

  
  

• Final takes. What I’m watching, what I’m waiting for, what I’m expecting, what I’m hoping for and what I’m reading.

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