Wednesday, April 9

Federal appeals court lets Trump fire over 25K probationary employees

• The 4th Circuit allowed President Donald Trump to fire 25,000 probationary federal workers targeted in mass firings. The three-judge panel cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a separate case that allows Trump to move forward with the terminations.

SCOTUS halts reinstatement of fired federal board members

• Chief Justice John Roberts Wednesday stayed a lower court’s order requiring Trump to reinstate two members of independent federal agencies who were wrongfully dismissed earlier this year.
  
  
• Roberts’ administrative stay gives the court additional time to consider the Trump administration’s challenge to the reinstatement of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris.

The latest in an Illinois redistricting dispute 

• The Illinois Supreme Court denied a Republican challenge to Illinois state house districts. Republicans argued the map was a partisan gerrymander that created an unfair advantage for Democrats.
  

Ben Wikler: Elon Musk helped Democrats win in Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler joined Marc to discuss the state Supreme Court victory, why even Republicans hate Elon Musk right now and Wikler's advice to Democrats running nationwide.

What we must do now to win in 2026

• Democrats have a real opportunity to retake the House and Senate in 2026, Marc writes in a new piece. As always, that begins with recruiting the best candidates and ensuring they have the resources to run competitive races. There are already positive signs on that front.
  
  
• It is also vital that Democratic voters stay energized and engaged. For months, the legacy media insisted Democrats were dispirited and disengaged. The recent nationwide protests revealed the truth — Democrats are angry, motivated and ready to act.

A former DOJ pardon attorney’s warning

• Liz Oyer, the former DOJ pardon attorney who was fired after she opposed the restoration of gun ownership rights to actor Mel Gibson, testified Monday that days before the hearing, the DOJ dispatched armed U.S. marshals to her home to deliver a letter cautioning her of the risks of testifying. She said the marshals were called off only after she confirmed receipt of the letter via email.
  
  
• "The current leadership of the Department of Justice are all people who worked as Trump’s personal attorneys, and it does not appear that they have made the shift in mindset to their new role, which is serving the American people, not serving the president personally,” Oyer said in an interview with Democracy Docket. “And that is very concerning.”