The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday appealed a federal judge’s recent ruling that Sigal Chattah, a Donald Trump loyalist who was appointed in late July, has been unlawfully serving as Nevada’s U.S. attorney.
Thursday, October 2
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DOJ appeals federal judge ruling that Sigal Chattah is unlawfully serving as Nevada’s U.S. attorney
- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday appealed ([link removed] ) a federal judge’s recent ruling that Sigal Chattah, a Donald Trump loyalist who was appointed in March, has been unlawfully serving as Nevada’s U.S. attorney since her term expired in late July.
- On Tuesday, a federal judge concluded ([link removed] ) that Chattah’s continued service after her 120-day interim appointment expired stemmed from a series of manipulative personnel moves that violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA).
- Chattah is the second Trump appointee to unlawfully hold their position without Senate confirmation. In August, a judge in New Jersey ruled ([link removed] ) that Alina Habba had been illegally serving as U.S. Attorney there under a nearly identical scheme.
- The news comes days after a report ([link removed] ) that Chattah asked the FBI to probe debunked claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election.
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Judge recuses himself from overseeing legal challenge to Trump’s Portland National Guard deployment
- District Court judge Michael H. Simon, an appointee of President Barack Obama, recused himself from hearing Oregon’s lawsuit to stop the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Portland.
- Simon’s recusal comes at the request of DOJ, who noted that Simon is married to Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), who has publicly opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard. Bonamici's statements, DOJ argued, "can be expected to cause reasonable members of the public to question Judge Simon’s impartiality."
- Oregon and the city of Portland sued ([link removed] ) Trump on Sunday to stop his order sending federal troops into the city, calling the move “patently unlawful” and a violation of the U.S. Constitution. In court filings, top Oregon law enforcement officials said ([link removed] ) the deployment was unwarranted and could undermine public safety by provoking larger protests.
- Calls ([link removed] ) for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving the events of January 6, 2021, because his wife helped plan the day’s protests, have been ignored.
Judge appoints Special Master to draw new Alabama legislative map for 2026 state Senate elections
- In a win for voters, a federal judge appointed ([link removed] ) a Special Master to draw a new map for Alabama’s 2026 state Senate elections, which will include a majority-minority district in Montgomery.
- In August, a federal court found ([link removed] ) that Alabama’s state Senate map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting power in Montgomery. The court ordered Alabama to draw a new, compliant map.
- But Gov. Kay Ivey (R) refused to call a special legislative session to redraw the map, forcing the judge to appoint the Special Master to do it. The Special Master has been ordered to submit a remedial plan by Oct. 24.
The Supreme Court is poised to further undermine access to the polls
- SCOTUS’ new term begins Monday, giving its conservative majority a chance to further erode voter access and the power of minority voters. Alliance for Justice president Rachel Rossi highlights key cases — from Louisiana redistricting to mail-in ballots laws — that could undermine democracy. Read it here. ([link removed] )
ICYMI: The legal battle begins over Texas GOP’s new gerrymandered map
- A federal court began a hearing ([link removed] ) in a case Wednesday to decide whether Texas can use its new gerrymandered congressional map in next year’s midterms. At stake is the future of minority communities’ voting strength in Texas – and perhaps the balance of power in the U.S. Congress.
- Democracy Docket reporter Jen Rice is in El Paso, where she’ll be covering the hearing over the next nine days. Follow her for daily updates and analysis. You can follow Jen’s reporting from Texas on our site ([link removed] ) , and on our Bluesky ([link removed] ) , YouTube ([link removed] ) and Instagram ([link removed] ) pages.
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