The U.S. Postal Service finalized a postmark rule that could increase late mail-in ballots for rural voters. Even in states with grace periods, mail voters submitting ballots a day or two before Election Day could now risk their votes not being counted.

Tuesday, December 30

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Rural mail-in ballots at risk as USPS finalizes changes to postmark dates

  • The U.S. Postal Service finalized a postmark rule that could increase late mail-in ballots for rural voters. Even in states with grace periods, mail voters submitting ballots a day or two before Election Day could now risk their votes not being counted.

  • Read the full story >>>

Order suggests DOJ retaliated against Abrego Garcia for court victory

  • A newly unsealed legal filing suggests the Department of Justice (DOJ) may have brought retaliatory criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he challenged his removal to a Salvadoran megaprison in court — and won.

  • In one instance, a key aide to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told federal prosecutors in Tennessee that bringing immigrant smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia over a traffic stop in 2022 was “a top priority” for the DOJ.

  • Read the full story >>>

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

  • We will not sit by and let America fall into authoritarianism. The ACLU has filed over 100 lawsuits and blocked some of the Trump administration’s worst policies and actions. 

  • Join the ACLU to help keep America a free country. Sign up today. 

According to us! The best and worst of 2025’s fight for democracy

  • Even when the news seemed terrible and overwhelming, Democracy Docket’s team has always managed to find joy in covering it — whether it was finding the (many) errors in DOJ legal filings or reporting court victories. Here, we present the best and worst of 2025.

  • Read the full story >>>

According to you! The most-clicked Democracy Docket stories in 2025

  • From redistricting to President Donald Trump’s executive power grab to the Justice Department’s war on voting and beyond, these top-visited Democracy Docket stories highlight the issues that defined democracy in 2025.

  • Read the full story >>>

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

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Since day one of the Trump administration, the ACLU has filed over 100 lawsuits to protect our most fundamental civil rights from attacks. And in more than 70% of our cases, we have successfully defeated, diluted, or delayed some of the Trump administration’s worst policies and actions – but our work is far from over. 

 

Sign up to stay up-to-date on how you can get involved in the fight. Join us. 

Why Republicans are finally abandoning Trump

  • David Pakman joined Marc to break down the most dangerous and overlooked trends of Trump’s second term, from public desensitization and media failure to economic backlash, immigration cruelty, and rising threats to democratic norms.

  • Pakman explained why economic pain — not attacks on democracy — is driving voter shifts, how Latino voters moved right in 2024 and may already be swinging back, and why legacy media has struggled while independent creators fill the gap.

  • Watch the full video >>>
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