Daily Docket — Monday, July 1

The U.S. Supreme Court shields Trump and future presidents from being held accountable for their actions

• In a landmark 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution for certain official acts.

  
  

• The case is remanded to the lower court to determine whether the actions Trump took around January 6 were official or unofficial acts and if prosecutions can continue.

  
  

• In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that when the president “uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

  
  

• In a new YouTube video, Marc explains the decision, the harm it causes our democracy and what happens next.

The Arkansas NAACP decides not to appeal voting rights decision to SCOTUS

• The Arkansas NAACP decided not to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the 8th Circuit's ruling that voters cannot sue to enforce part of the Voting Rights Act out of concern that SCOTUS could curb the right to challenge discriminatory voting laws nationwide.

  
  

• Barry Jefferson, president of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP, said the organization is still able to file voting rights lawsuits under Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act, so filing a petition with the Supreme Court isn’t necessary right now.

Updates on South Carolina and Miami gerrymandering cases

• Parties involved in a federal lawsuit over South Carolina's congressional map have until July 28 to submit briefs on how the case should proceed after the U.S. Supreme Court changed the standards for determining whether a map is racially gerrymandered.

  
  

• A federal judge approved a settlement between Miami officials and local groups in a racial gerrymandering challenge to the city's commission districts. The agreement enacts new fair districts and puts a local redistricting reform measure on the ballot.

The credibility of the 2024 election is at risk in Georgia and Wisconsin

• Nearly half of Georgia voters are concerned the 2024 election will not be fair and accurate and believe that there was widespread voter fraud in 2020, according to a new Atlanta-Journal Constitution poll.

  
  

• In 2024, Wisconsin Republicans appear more focused on mobilizing their base to utilize early and absentee voting, even as they struggle to stay on the same page, and Trump holds on to 2020 conspiracies.

The latest mail-in voting lawsuit in Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania voters and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging Washington County's decision to not tell voters with defective mail-in ballots that their vote will not be counted or give them the opportunity to fix the mistake.

Victory for voters in Hawaii

• A federal court dismissed part of a lawsuit from the right-wing group PILF that sought to gain access to Hawaii's voter rolls.

  
  

• The group has until Oct. 28 to refile its complaint, otherwise, the case will be dismissed for good.

New pro-voting group lawsuit in Kentucky

• A pro-voter organization filed a lawsuit alleging that Kentucky is removing voters from the rolls without notice, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. The group asks for a court order to ensure Kentucky is in compliance with federal law.

It isn’t just the immunity decision that will impact a potential Trump presidency — multiple Supreme Court opinions this term could help bolster Project 2025, the far-right plan to take over the federal government.

If you’ve been wondering what this plan entails and why it’s dangerous, drop your question below for a chance to be featured in next week’s Q&A with Marc.