John,

Here are some updates from the last few days you may have missed.

Republicans Advance Bans on Private Donations for Election Administration

• Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill banning the use of private donations for election-related expenses like poll workers and voter registration. Similar bans have already been enacted in Arizona, Kentucky and South Dakota — all the result of a Republican conspiracy about some of the most prolific funders of election grants. This is a serious problem for our elections, as elections offices are chronically underfunded. Read more here.

Federal Court Keeps Michigan Congressional Map in Place for 2022

• Last Friday, federal judges denied a request to block Michigan’s congressional map while a lawsuit proceeds, ensuring the map will remain in place for 2022. The court had previously dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims that the map fails to follow neutral redistricting criteria. Read more about the ruling here.

A New Map in Maryland and an Appeal in New York

• On Monday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed a new congressional map into law after the previous one passed by the Maryland General Assembly over his veto was struck down. The move came after defendants in the lawsuit agreed to drop their appeal. Find out more here.


• Meanwhile, New York has appealed the decision overturning its congressional and legislative maps. As a result, the ruling against the maps is on hold for now — meaning the current map is still in effect.

Also, be sure to check out our April Litigation Look Ahead to get up to speed on what to expect in courtrooms this month. You can always find more details about any update on our Alerts page.

Thanks for staying in the fight,
Team Democracy Docket