Daily Docket — Thursday, March 9

Here are some updates from today.

A federal court in Georgia denied a request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s wet signature requirement for absentee ballot applications. The lawsuit, filed by Vote.org, Georgia Alliance for Retired Americans and Priorities USA, will continue. [link removed]

A federal judge issued an order in another Georgia case, a lawsuit brought by Fair Fight against the right-wing organization True the Vote. The order largely focuses on procedural questions around the parties’ motions for summary judgment, which is when a party asks the judge to rule on a portion or all of a case without a full trial by presenting evidence that their side should win. The judge ruled that the case’s facts were disputed by the different sides and summary judgment could not be issued on all of the claims, including Section 11(b) voter intimidation claims, so the case will proceed to trial. [link removed]

President Joe Biden released his proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which includes major investments in state and local election departments as well as increased funding for the U.S. Department of Justice to enforce federal voting laws. [link removed]

Here are some updates from yesterday.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced the Vote at Home Act, a bill that would ensure that all Americans have the ability to vote by mail. Wyden and Blumenauer previously introduced similar legislation in 2021, but it’s unlikely this bill will achieve the bipartisan support necessary to pass a divided Congress. [link removed]

The U.S. Senate voted to overturn Washington, D.C.'s newly revised criminal code. The Home Rule Act of 1973 allows Washington, D.C. residents to elect local government officials, but all city council legislation is subject to congressional review. [link removed]

The New Mexico Senate passed the New Mexico Voting Rights Act, which already cleared the state House. The bill would establish automatic voter registration, restore voting rights to people with felony convictions post-incarceration, expand drop boxes, enact the Native American Voting Rights Act and more. The bill goes back to the New Mexico House for concurrence on Senate amendments before heading to the governor’s desk. [link removed]

Here’s what to expect coming up.

The latest episode of our Defending Democracy podcast, “The Right Wing’s Latest Legal Theory,” drops tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. EST — get ready! Listen on Apple, Spotify or any other platform. [link removed]
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Tomorrow on Democracy Docket, we run through the possible outcomes of Merrill v. Milligan, the Alabama redistricting case before the U.S. Supreme Court that will determine the future of the Voting Rights Act. [link removed]

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