A group of California Republicans filed an emergency petition asking the California Supreme Court to block the state’s new redistricting measure from being put on the November ballot.

Monday, August 25

View in browser ([link removed] )

NL-Header_DD-1 ([link removed] )

Voters, advocates ask court to block Texas gerrymander

- Pro-voting groups and minority voters challenging Texas’ existing congressional map from 2021 are now seeking ([link removed] ) to block the state’s newly-passed gerrymander from taking effect, claiming the new map discriminates against Black and Latino voters.

Republicans sue to block California redistricting measure

- A group of California Republicans filed ([link removed] ) an emergency petition asking the California Supreme Court to block the state’s new redistricting measure from being put on the November ballot.

- California is asking voters to approve a new map to counter the Texas gerrymander, which aims to add more GOP seats to Congress in 2026.



Our newsroom is on the front lines, uncovering the truth behind Texas’s redistricting fight — with more than 50 in-depth articles since the new maps were released. Support independent journalism by becoming a premium member today. ([link removed] )





POWER PRO-DEMOCRACY MEDIA
([link removed] )



Leading election conspiracy theorist appointed to DHS leadership position

- Democracy Docket scoop: Heather Honey, an election conspiracy theorist tied to anti-voting lawyer Cleta Mitchell, was appointed ([link removed] ) to a new “election integrity” position at the Department of Homeland Security.

- Honey, who Mitchell has called a “wonderful person,” boasts a long history of promoting election conspiracies and has questioned the 2020 election results.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained by ICE, faces re-deportation

- After being freed from custody last week, Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who was wrongly removed from the U.S. and imprisoned in El Salvador earlier this year — was detained ([link removed] ) by ICE once again after arriving at a required check-in at ICE’s Baltimore field office this morning.

- At a hearing this afternoon, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered that Abrego Garcia must remain detained in the U.S. — temporarily blocking his deportation to Uganda — until she holds an evidentiary hearing.

- “The fact that they’re holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick to coerce him is such clear evidence that they’re weaponizing the immigration system in a manner that is completely unconstitutional,” Abrego Garcia’s lawyer said.

In attempt to expand use of troops domestically, Trump issues new EO

- Trump signed ([link removed] ) executive orders to expand the military's role in D.C., and across the country. The directives call for the preparation of national guard units in each state to be ready to "assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances."

Mississippi asks SCOTUS to restore mail-in ballot grace period

- Mississippi’s Republican secretary of state is asking ([link removed] ) the Supreme Court to rule against the GOP and reinstate a five-day post-election grace period for late mail-in ballots struck down by a federal appeals court.

- The state says banning such ballots could jeopardize the voting rights of military and overseas voters, many of whom cast late-arriving ballots, in numerous states.

A win for Pennsylvania voters

- The 3rd Circuit denied ([link removed] ) the RNC's request to pause a district ruling requiring Pennsylvania counties to count undated or wrongly dated ballots. Earlier this year, the district court found the state's handwritten date requirement violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

- Ahead of the 2025 general election, the RNC moved to stay this ruling. Today’s decision means counties cannot reject undated and wrongly dated ballots while the appeal continues.

Pro-voting groups sue Ohio over proof of citizenship law as Sec. of State lashes out

- Voting rights groups filed suit against Ohio Friday, warning that a new law requiring proof of citizenship for voters registering at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles threatens to disenfranchise thousands of eligible citizens.

- The proof of citizenship requirement was added back into a budget bill at the last minute after being briefly stripped out, with little debate. The filing highlights ([link removed] ) how the law will fall hardest on women, older voters and students.

The states sending troops to DC have way worse crime problems

- A total of 53 cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia had higher ([link removed] ) crime rates than Washington, D.C. in 2024. Despite this, these states deployed their own National Guard troops to help address D.C.'s newly declared "crime emergency."

Coming up tomorrow

- The Illinois State Board of Elections’ brief is due to SCOTUS in an appeal seeking to revive a challenge to the state’s ballot receipt deadline. This case is about the standing to challenge ([link removed] ) these election laws, not the merits.

Facebook ([link removed] )

X ([link removed] )

Instagram ([link removed] )

Bluesky_Logo-grey (2) ([link removed] )

YouTube ([link removed] )

Website ([link removed] )

TikTok ([link removed] )

This is one of our free weekly newsletters. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to our newsletters here ([link removed] ) . For questions or help with your subscription, please visit our Help Center ([link removed] ) .

Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) | Manage Preferences ([link removed] ) | Donate ([link removed] )

Democracy Docket, LLC

250 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 400

Washington, D.C., 20009