Monday, August 4

Republicans issue arrest warrants for Texas Democrats, but they likely aren’t enforceable

A group of Texas House Democrats fled the state Sunday evening to block a hastily-drawn Republican congressional map that could add five more GOP seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Today the Texas House voted to issue arrest warrants for the Democrats that left. However, experts say it’s unlikely the warrants will actually return Democrats to Texas, contrary to Republicans’ claims.
“A warrant issued by the Texas House is not effective out of the state unless another state chooses to domesticate it and enforce it under that state's laws,” Chad Dunn, a longtime Texas elections and voting rights lawyer, told Democracy Docket.

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New York governor pledges to fight GOP ‘fire with fire’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) today condemned what she called a “legal insurrection” by Republicans in Texas and beyond — vowing that New York would not sit quietly as democracy is dismantled state by state.

The 5th Circuit ruled that a Texas law requiring voter ID numbers for all absentee ballot applications and mail ballot envelopes does not violate the materiality provision of the Civil Rights Act. Earlier this year, a federal court found that the law violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A federal court dismissed an anti-voting lawsuit alleging Florida violated federal law by failing to remove ineligible voters from the rolls. The GOP plaintiffs sought to halt the 2024 general election certification until the state proved its lawful conduction.

A federal agency is investigating former special counsel Jack Smith for allegedly engaging in political activity by charging Trump before the 2024 election. The probe marks another case of the government being weaponized against those seeking accountability.

In a 50-45 vote Saturday, the Senate confirmed former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as U.S. Attorney for D.C., despite her past statements denying the 2020 election results and supporting criminal charges for January 6 prosecutors.

So far, over 17 states have received requests from the DOJ requesting sensitive voter data. The department plans to eventually contact all 50 states, but do all 50 states have to comply?

Marc gives his weekly update on what’s happening to our democracy and the court cases you need to watch. This week, he’s providing the most up-to-date news on Texas redistricting, The Epstein Files, a very dangerous claim from one of Trump’s top officials, and more.