From ordering and getting the indictment of a top foe to targeting left-wing nonprofits, Trump moved decisively into authoritarianism, as he intensified his dangerous bid to wield the federal government for his own interests — including personal retribution.

Friday, September 26

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Trump took key steps into authoritarianism this week

- From ordering and getting the indictment ([link removed] ) of a top foe to targeting left-wing nonprofits, President Donald Trump moved decisively into authoritarianism as he intensified his dangerous bid to wield the federal government for his own interests — including personal retribution. Here’s ([link removed] ) the full breakdown.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

- President Trump has threatened to send federal agents and National Guard troops into cities across the country, including Memphis, New Orleans, and San Francisco.

- Congress must rein in this abuse of power. Tell Congress: No more troops on our streets. ([link removed] )

GOP operative who pushed to cut early voting will help oversee North Carolina elections

- Dallas Woodhouse, a GOP operative with a history of voter suppression efforts, will help ([link removed] ) oversee the state’s local boards of elections, according to a memo from the state auditor.

- Ahead of the 2016 election, Woodhouse — who was then leading the state GOP — reportedly emailed Republican county election board members and asked them to “make party line changes to early voting,” which included reducing hours, nixing Sunday voting, and excluding college campuses as polling sites.

Missouri AG misquotes state constitution to block referendum

- Missouri’s GOP attorney general rejected an advocacy group’s petition ([link removed] ) for a referendum to block the state’s recent gerrymander.

- The pro-democracy group behind the petition, People Not Politicians, said the AG cited the wrong section of the state’s constitution in explaining the rejection. It signaled that it plans to challenge the rejection in court.

Can we actually save America?

- Trump’s second term isn’t just about bad policies — it’s about breaking America’s democratic institutions for good. Today, Marc explains ([link removed] ) why we can’t simply “resist” Trump and wait things out, but must build a long-term pro-democracy opposition movement.

Coming up next week

- Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) is expected to sign a redistricting bill ([link removed] ) Sunday. Litigation is likely to follow.

- SCOTUS will begin their long conference, where justices will meet to determine additional cases for review ahead of the new term.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

ACLU_NoTroops_Newsletter_750x275@2x - Destini Bennett ([link removed] )

President Trump’s deployment of federal troops to U.S. cities is about seizing power and sowing fear. He is using taxpayer dollars to intimidate our communities instead of investing in solutions that actually make our neighborhoods safer and our lives better. Our representatives need to hear from their constituents that this is not what we want. Tell Congress: No more troops on our streets. ([link removed] )

AND NOW FOR THIS WEEK’S GOOD NEWS

Democrat wins Arizona special election, further shrinks GOP House majority

- Adelita Grijalva (D) secured ([link removed] ) a landslide victory in Arizona’s 7th District special election. As the first Latina elected to represent Arizona in Congress, her win further narrows the GOP’s razor-thin margin in the U.S. House and strengthens the ability of pro-democracy leaders to push back against the GOP’s federal agenda.

D.C. Circuit Court disbars Trump lawyer behind fake elector plot

- Kenneth Chesebro, the pro-Trump lawyer who helped devise the 2020 fake elector scheme, has been suspended ([link removed] ) from practicing law in Washington, D.C. Chesebro had already been disbarred or suspended in several other states, after pleading guilty to charges tied to Trump’s election racketeering case in Georgia. The suspension marks another accountability win against those who tried to overturn the 2020 election.

Ninth Circuit keeps Arizona GOP anti-voting laws blocked

- In another win out of Arizona, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied ([link removed] ) a rehearing request aimed at reinstating two GOP laws previously struck down as illegal voter suppression. The laws — one requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, another allowing registration cancellations based on an election official having a “reason to believe” a voter is a noncitizen — will remain blocked for now.

Nebraska agrees not to help DOJ’s grab for voter data — for now

- After a voter and pro-voting group sued the state, Nebraska agreed ([link removed] ) not to hand over its statewide voter registration database to Trump’s DOJ as the case proceeds. The agreement means sensitive and personal voter information will remain protected for now.

Appeals court tosses GOP lawsuit targeting Michigan’s voter rolls

- The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected ([link removed] ) the Republican National Committee’s attempt to force Michigan to aggressively purge its voter rolls. The judges unanimously upheld a lower court ruling, finding that the RNC had no standing and that its alleged harms were “unduly speculative,” delivering another defeat to the GOP’s efforts to undermine voting access.

Georgia court rejects GOP attack on established voting systems

- A Georgia appeals court upheld ([link removed] ) the dismissal of a Republican lawsuit challenging the state’s use of Dominion Voting Systems, ruling that the GOP lacked standing to sue. The court rejected the DeKalb County GOP’s argument that Georgia’s election systems were unlawful because encryption keys were not adequately protected, shutting down another attempt to undermine trust in Georgia’s elections.

Illinois court trims right-wing challenge to voter roll access

- A federal court dismissed ([link removed] ) parts of a right-wing lawsuit demanding unrestricted access to Illinois’ voter registration data, ruling that the anti-voting group Judicial Watch lacked the standing to sue. The decision narrows right-wing efforts to access voter databases, protecting voter privacy as the case continues.

Federal court blocks Trump’s attack on independent agencies, federal workers

- The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals also denied ([link removed] ) Trump’s emergency request to revive his executive order targeting independent agencies and civil service employees. The court left in place a lower court ruling blocking the order, finding Trump’s DOJ failed to show any “irreparable injury” that would justify bypassing the law. The decision prevents Trump from consolidating more power in the executive branch while the case proceeds.

Federal judge orders Trump to restore UCLA research funding

- A federal judge ruled ([link removed] ) that the Trump administration must restore $500 million in research funding to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), calling the seizing of those funds “arbitrary and capricious" under the Administrative Procedures Act. This decision protects critical medical research and pushes back against Trump’s use of federal funds as leverage for ideological demands.

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