Trump’s national redistricting battle isn’t going as well as he’d hoped — so far. Here’s where things stand now, in Utah, Missouri, Kansas and more.
Friday, November 14
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THIS WEEK
- GOP gerrymanders go to court in Utah, Missouri, Texas and North Carolina
- SCOTUS to hear consequential mail ballot case
- Wisconsin judge rules against voter citizenship checks
REDISTRICTING
Utah’s GOP gerrymander backfires in court
Big news out of Utah, where a judge struck down ([link removed] ) the GOP-controlled legislature’s partisan congressional map. It’s a huge victory for Utahns, who passed a constitutional amendment in 2018 forbidding partisan gerrymandering. The judge ruled that the GOP map, which divided liberal-leaning Salt Lake City between the state’s four districts, directly contravened the will of voters. In its place, she chose an alternative map that creates a single district centered on the city’s north — likely meaning Democrats will pick up one of the state’s four congressional seats. Recall that, in 2024, 37.8% of Utahns voted for Kamala Harris — a sizable minority heavily concentrated in Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, in Missouri, the GOP gerrymander has opened a whole Pandora’s box of litigation. So far, we have an NAACP lawsuit to stop the special session used to draw the new map, three lawsuits arguing that conducting a mid-decade redistricting is unconstitutional, a federal lawsuit brought by Republicans trying to block a referendum on the map, and a challenge over rejected referendum petition signatures.
State courts heard two cases ([link removed] ) this week — one on the mid-decade redistricting question, and one on the petition signatures, in which referendum organizers are asking a court to stop GOP state officials from rejecting thousands of signatures they’ve collected.
We’re also keeping an eye on North Carolina, where Black and Latino voters are challenging ([link removed] ) the GOP’s new congressional gerrymander in court. A hearing is set for Wednesday.
Faced with President Donald Trump’s demands for a partisan gerrymander, GOP lawmakers in Missouri, North Carolina and Texas simply bent the knee. But, in Kansas, several Republican lawmakers are saying no to partisan redistricting ([link removed] ) . Last week, the Kansas House speaker reportedly stripped three Republicans of their leadership positions for that refusal. The GOP could still move forward with redistricting when the legislature convenes in January.
Zooming out, Trump’s national push to net more GOP congressional seats doesn’t appear to be going as he hoped — at least so far. California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50. Virginia Democrats are pushing forward with their own redistricting. And actual or potential Republican gerrymanders in Utah and Kansas are faltering.
But the road to 2026 is still fraught with danger. Many redistricting cases will be decided ([link removed] ) by Trump-appointed federal judges, a Democracy Docket analysis shows. And, of course, looming over everything is the Callais case ([link removed] ) , in which the Supreme Court is expected to weaken or gut the Voting Rights Act and, effectively, undermine the power of Black voters. Depending on when the court issues its ruling, and what it says, the case could give the GOP a chance to wipe out ([link removed] ) many more Democratic-held seats ahead of 2026. Read more about the Utah ruling here ([link removed] ) .
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SUPREME COURT
SCOTUS will hear major mail ballot deadline case
Back in the day, mail voting was uncontroversial. It enjoyed the support of Democrats and Republicans, who both benefited from — wait for it! — people voting for them. But times have changed. Now, the GOP has politicized “late-arriving mail ballots,” — i.e, votes that are postmarked on time, but arrive after Election Day. And they’re fighting to get these ballots thrown out across the country.
This week, we learned that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue ([link removed] ) in RNC v. Wetzel ([link removed] ) , a case that could have sweeping consequences for 2026 and beyond. The Republican National Committee is challenging a Mississippi law that allows votes to be counted provided they are postmarked on time and arrive within five days of the election. Mississippi is defending its law with support from Vet Voice Foundation and the Mississippi Alliance for Retired Americans.*
The impact will be big! The nine justices' decision could strike down or uphold laws ([link removed] ) in 16 states (and Washington D.C.) that offer similar ballot “grace periods.”
In their battle against mail ballots, Republicans are arguing that late ballots should be tossed out because voting must take place on a single day — a rule that does not actually exist. So while the current target is “late ballots,” the ultimate goal may be eliminating early voting entirely. “Election Day means Election DAY,” Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, posted on X ([link removed] ) in response to the news. Read more about the SCOTUS case here ([link removed] ) .
*Vet Voice Foundation and the Mississippi Alliance for Retired Americans are represented in the lawsuit by the Elias Law Group (ELG). ELG Chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.
VOTING
Wisconsin judge rules against voter citizenship checks
A Wisconsin state judge has vacated ([link removed] ) his previous ruling ([link removed] ) that would have required citizenship checks for voter registration. Instead, eligible voters will continue to register by affirming their citizenship under penalty of perjury.
Under the previous ruling, Wisconsin would have been required to introduce a citizenship check that could have flagged ([link removed] ) thousands of lawful voters and potentially purged them from the rolls.
The judge vacated his ruling after both sides agreed at a hearing that the order should be withdrawn. Read more about the Wisconsin ruling here ([link removed] ) .
OPINION
It Was the Epstein Shutdown All Along
Screenshot 2025-11-13 at 3.54.25 PM ([link removed] )
The government shutdown is over. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has been sworn in. The final signature is in place to compel a vote to release the Epstein Files.
This week, Marc wrote about what comes next: “Whatever is in the files has kept the government closed, captivated the Department of Justice and kept Donald Trump awake at night. When we finally see what is inside the case file, we need to make sure he is held accountable.” Read more here ([link removed] ) .
NEW EPISODE
8 Ways Republicans Will Subvert The 2026 Election
Despite major pro-democracy wins in 2025, the fight is far from over. This video exposes the next phase of Trump and the Republicans' playbook — and what voters, lawyers, and journalists must do now to defend democracy before it’s too late. Marc gives his expert take on politics, news, and current events. Watch it on YouTube here ([link removed] ) .
What We’re Doing
Democracy Docket reporter Jen Rice here – a huge thank you to readers who sent in photos of their favorite voting stickers this week. You guys really inspired this voting sticker enthusiast to get serious about building out my collection. The photos you sent ranged from the legendary (Ulster County, NY’s demented spider) to the adorable (Tompkins County, NY’s cute pup) to the trilingual (Pima County, AZ’s sticker in English, Spanish and O’odham). Here’s hoping more counties join the voting stickers movement.
Screenshot 2025-11-13 at 3.44.18 PM ([link removed] )
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