A Virginia judge blocked Virginia Democrats’ “10-1” redistricting plan, ruling that the General Assembly failed to follow procedure for voting to amend the state’s constitution to pass a new map.

Tuesday, January 27

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Judge blocks Virginia Democrats’ ‘10-1’ redistricting plan for 2026 midterms

- A Virginia judge blocked ([link removed] ) state Democrats’ “10-1” redistricting plan, ruling that the General Assembly failed to follow procedure for voting to amend the state’s constitution to pass a new map.

- Unless overturned on appeal, the ruling will block the Democrats’ plans to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps to flip as many as four districts from red-leaning to safely blue seats.

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First on Democracy Docket: In blow to Trump DOJ, experienced anti-voting lawyer is out

- Maureen Riordan, the veteran election lawyer whose appointment as Acting Chief of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) voting section symbolized the department’s sharp anti-voting shift, is no longer at DOJ, the department said ([link removed] ) in a court filing Tuesday.

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Bondi’s ‘blackmail’ letter deepens concerns over DOJ’s voter roll motives, federal judge says

- A federal judge in Oregon said ([link removed] ) that a letter sent by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota raises questions about the DOJ’s voter roll campaign and fuels concerns that it’s being used as political leverage rather than election oversight.

- Bondi’s letter implied that the U.S. government would halt its aggressive immigration raids in Minnesota if the state fulfilled a number of demands, which included giving the DOJ unfettered access to voters’ unredacted data.

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The DOJ wants your private information — and is determined to get it

- Pam Bondi demanding access to Minnesota’s voter rolls in return for withdrawing ICE wasn’t an isolated incident. Since May, the DOJ has been on a warpath to obtain unredacted voter roll data from every state, which includes private information like driver’s license and social security numbers for every voter, Marc explains ([link removed] ) .

- Watch the video >>> ([link removed] )

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Trump’s fascist takeover has accelerated

- Trump’s second term is accelerating an authoritarian playbook at a speed the U.S. has never before seen. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat joined ([link removed] ) Marc to explain how expansionism, paramilitary policing, election sabotage, and propaganda mirror past fascist regimes, and why this moment is uniquely dangerous.

- They also explored why resistance looks different today, how fear and humiliation are weaponized, and what comes next for American democracy.

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Coming up tomorrow

- The 4th Circuit will hear ([link removed] ) a lawsuit challenging South Carolina’s law that only allows voters to vote absentee if they are over the age of 65 or fall into several limited categories.

- Trial begins ([link removed] ) in Mississippi for a federal lawsuit challenging DeSoto County’s electoral map, which plaintiffs allege violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because it splits the Black community across different districts, diluting their voting power.

DEMOCRACY FOOTNOTES

Here we share noteworthy briefs on all things voting rights and democracy. Have a footnote for us? Send them to [email protected].

- Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales (R) suffered a devastating self-own on X when he posted ([link removed] ) a photo of himself posing with a snow shovel and said that he believes "in rolling up my sleeves and doing the hard work myself.” There was one problem, X users noted: Obvious snow blower tracks right next to him.

- We at Democracy Docket are clapping in a repetitive, minimalistic rhythm for Philip Glass canceling ([link removed] ) the world premiere of his latest work — a symphony about Abraham Lincoln — in protest of Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center.

- If Trump wants an airport terminal named ([link removed] ) after him, at least it’s in Dulles Airport — unequivocally the worst airport in the Washington, D.C. region.

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