The Court could eliminate the last nationwide protection against racially discriminatory voting maps. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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Brennan Center for Justice
 
DVIDS
President Trump issued orders last month targeting “domestic terrorism.” Imagining a widespread left-wing conspiracy to commit violence, he authorized the government to go after people and groups holding any one of a broad array of disfavored views — including “anti-fascism” and “anti-Americanism.” The orders also designated antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization,” despite the facts that the president has no legal authority to do so and that antifa is a decentralized movement, not a group or organization. Existing laws give the president great latitude in combating threats to national security. These new orders are an obvious abuse of this authority and if acted on would threaten First Amendment rights.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has systematically targeted the people and processes that ensure free and fair elections while also abandoning voter protection efforts. It’s clearly a concerted strategy to undermine our democratic system, especially when all the tactics are viewed together. From pardoning the January 6 rioters to improper Justice Department requests for states’ voter list records, the Brennan Center’s new interactive timeline tracks and categorizes the administration’s numerous antidemocratic actions.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a redistricting case that will decide whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act still allows people of color to challenge racially discriminatory voting maps in court. The lawsuit is about the congressional district map in Louisiana, but a decision limiting or eliminating the use of Section 2 would affect city councils, school boards, and state legislatures across the country. Find out how the law has worked for decades and what this case means for fair representation.
​​Over the weekend, a Trump-appointed federal judge blocked the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. In response, Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to bypass the law that prohibits using the military for domestic policing. While the administration has offered shifting justifications for deploying the military on U.S. soil, the real purpose is becoming increasingly clear: blatant intimidation to stoke fear, which poses a serious threat to our democracy. State and local officials, the courts, and the public must stand together to oppose it.
The Brennan Center has launched a new series of roundups that will examine fundraising trends and spotlight developments in campaign finance and political corruption. This first edition looks at the special interests seeking to shape federal policy on artificial intelligence regulation, along with the potential for record-breaking spending in this year’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.

 
BRENNAN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
 
A federal agency called the Election Assistance Commission is considering requiring a passport or other proof of citizenship when registering to vote using the federal voter registration form. The commission is accepting public comments on this issue, but misleading, anti-voter messages have flooded in. You can do something about this attack on the freedom to vote:
 

 
PODCAST: Democracy’s Day in Court
The Supreme Court’s new term started this month, bringing a slate of cases that could chip away at protections designed to make our political system fairer and more inclusive. In our recent podcast episode, hosted in partnership with the Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court, experts and longtime Court watchers discuss the major cases on the docket and explain what the outcomes could mean for the future of American democracy. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube.

 
Virtual Event
 
The Power of the Purse
Tuesday, October 28, 2–3 p.m. ET
The Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide how much the federal government spends and for what purposes. While presidents and Congress have always engaged in a push-and-pull over funding, President Trump has taken unprecedented steps to ignore this constitutional framework and impose his own spending priorities.
 
Since taking office, the Trump administration has attempted to freeze financial assistance, terminate already-awarded scientific research grants, prevent states from accessing emergency disaster relief, and circumvent federal statutes through unlawful “pocket rescissions.” Join us for a live virtual event with experts who will break down the efforts to undermine Congress’s funding authority, the lawsuits challenging those efforts, and the impact of these actions on Americans’ daily lives. RSVP today

 
 
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
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