Trump orders officials to dismantle education department
President Donald Trump signed an executive order commanding the Department of Education to be effectively dismantled (eliminating the department would require action by Congress). Education organizations have warned that eliminating the federal government’s role in education will strip schools of critical funding and harm the over 50 million students who attend public schools, especially the 15% of them who have disabilities.
The move is almost certain to elicit numerous lawsuits. The Trump administration’s recent actions against the department, such as slashing its workforce in half, have been met with legal challenges. “See you in court,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said.
Federal judge blocks DOGE’s social security “fishing expedition”
Three judges could save — or destroy — North Carolina’s democracy
The North Carolina Court of Appeals will hold a hearing tomorrow on whether to overturn the results of the 2024 state supreme court election. Democratic Justice Allison Riggs won by 734 votes, but her GOP challenger Judge Jefferson Griffin is refusing to concede.
Griffin sits on the Court of Appeals, and he wants his colleagues to retroactively change election rules, throw out tens of thousands of votes in Democratic counties and declare him the winner.
If Griffin prevails, it would deal a major blow to democracy in the Tar Heel State — and would signal to Republicans nationwide that using partisan justices to reverse election results is a viable strategy. Democracy Docket Guest Author Billy Corriher gets into it here — and adds some troubling information about two of the judges set to hear the case.
New York City noncitizen voting law struck down
Rep. Garcia says we’re in a constitutional crisis
The sharks circling the boat
Trump’s “flood the zone” strategy is designed to overwhelm us — but we should focus on the most urgent threat. "I’m talking about the moment when the Trump administration announces that it outright refuses to comply with court orders,” Marc writes. “Such an event would trigger a full-blown constitutional crisis — one we are simply unequipped to handle right now." Read more here.
