Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 15, 2025 at 10:03 PM

D.C. AG sues to block Trump’s takeover of Metropolitan Police Department

D.C. AG sues to block Trump’s takeover of Metropolitan Police Department D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said he’s suing the federal government over President Donald Trump's "brazenly unlawful" attempt to federalize and control the Metropolitan Police Department. Friday, …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 15, 2025 at 4:02 PM

The fight against GOP gerrymandering is just beginning

The fight against GOP gerrymandering is just beginning A smart political operative told me earlier this week that he was surprised by how much the Texas gerrymandering story had broken through to the public. I began thinking about what the situation might be analogous to — and what the r…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 15, 2025 at 11:02 AM

The redistricting war of 2025 

The redistricting war of 2025 The Texas redistricting showdown is nearing the end of its first act, and what comes next is far from certain. But the battle is likely just the start of a national redistricting war. Friday, August 15 View in browser …

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August 14, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Texas House democrats to return when California releases new maps

Texas House democrats to return when California releases new maps State Rep. Gene Wu (D), chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said he and the other quorum-breaking democrats will return to Austin once California introduces its redistricting maps to “neutralize” the Texas plan. …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM

What to know about Trump’s D.C. takeover

What to know about Trump’s D.C. takeover It started, as it so often does these days, with Big Balls. Over the weekend, the 19-year-old DOGE staffer was hanging out in Dupont Circle at around 3:00am. As he stood outside of his vehicle, a group of teenagers approached him in an apparent ca…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 14, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Trump expands military campaign against Americans

Trump expands military campaign against Americans Trump deployed troops to yet another major metropolitan area this week, claiming he needs the military to “liberate” D.C. from rampant crime and homelessness. More likely, the deployment is part of an attempt to normalize the use of soldi…

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August 13, 2025 at 10:04 PM

Judge rejects Paxton’s effort to arrest Texas Dems in Illinois

Judge rejects Paxton’s effort to arrest Texas Dems in Illinois As Texas continues its redistricting scheme to secure five additional GOP seats ahead of the 2026 midterms, Democratic states have said they’ll fight fire with fire. But as blue states push back, the Trump DOJ is threatening …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM

Why AI will make gerrymandering worse

Why AI will make gerrymandering worse Times have changed. So has gerrymandering. The first time I saw how new congressional maps were drawn was after the 2000 census. The process was difficult, imprecise and time-consuming. The only data available came from the census itself. Although co…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 13, 2025 at 11:03 AM

These states responded to DOJ’s requests for private voter data

These states responded to DOJ’s requests for private voter data Over the past couple of months I’ve been tracking the DOJ’s unprecedented effort to obtain sensitive voting data — including access to voter rolls — from states across the country. Wednesday, August 13 …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 12, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Texas Senate passes GOP map, AG threatens Beto O’Rourke with arrest

Texas Senate passes GOP map, AG threatens Beto O’Rourke with arrest After two Senate Democrats refused to break quorum, the Texas Senate passed a redistricting map that could add five GOP seats in Congress. However, the map cannot take effect until the House votes on it. Tues…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM

Trump’s 3-step plan for 2026

Trump’s 3-step plan for 2026 You see it everywhere you turn. Once you start looking for it, you can’t stop. Federal agencies are being gutted by teenage boys who think the destruction is funny. The rule of law is mocked by administration officials who believe they stand above it. Governm…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 12, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Answering your questions on redistricting, voter data and more

Answering your questions on redistricting, voter data and more As the GOP continues its gerrymandering and voter suppression crusade, Democrats are fighting back. Democratic legislators in Texas are bravely standing up for democracy. Several governors are working to counter Republicans b…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Trump deploys National Guard to D.C., threatens federal takeover

Trump deploys National Guard to D.C., threatens federal takeover Trump announced the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., which he said is overwhelmed by crime and homelessness — a claim disputed by police data. Monday, August 11 Vie…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 11, 2025 at 5:58 PM

Why JD Vance’s latest lie matters

Why JD Vance’s latest lie matters Many of the people in Donald Trump’s orbit are what Vladimir Lenin once called useful idiots. These are individuals Trump has manipulated into advancing his own personal interests while believing they are serving some larger cause. View …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM

My conversation with Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer: Why he broke quorum

My conversation with Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer: Why he broke quorum Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer is one of the brave state lawmakers who fled the state last week to stop the GOP from enacting its gerrymandered map. I sat down with him to talk about their plan, the history of r…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM

The Voting Rights Act’s final test

The Voting Rights Act’s final test On Wednesday, we celebrated the Voting Rights Act’s (VRA) birthday. I fear it may very well be its last. It is hard to imagine today, but the VRA was, until recently, a bipartisan achievement claimed by both parties. Even during the tumultuous days of …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 8, 2025 at 10:04 PM

Unprecedented request: 13 Texas Dems face removal fight in court

Unprecedented request: 13 Texas Dems face removal fight in court Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 Democrats from office, days after Gov. Greg Abbott filed a similar petition. Friday, August 8 View in browser …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM

72 hours of chaos and 20+ Dem seats

72 hours of chaos and 20+ Dem seats I’m old enough to remember when Labor Day of an even-numbered year marked the unofficial start of campaign season. Well, times have certainly changed. It’s a so-called “off year,” it's the first week of August, and the midterms are already up and runni…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 8, 2025 at 11:04 AM

Texas Republicans are out of control

Texas Republicans are out of control Texas Democrats are holding their ground in Illinois to block a GOP redistricting map that could add five more Republican seats in Congress. Now, Texas Republicans are locked in a competition to be the guy who’s doing the most to punish them. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 7, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Republicans say FBI will help find quorum-breaking Texas Democrats

Republicans say FBI will help find quorum-breaking Texas Democrats Texas Republicans are scrambling to tell their base they’re mobilizing all resources to punish Democrats who left the state. Sen. John Cornyn said FBI Director Kash Patel responded to his request for federal assistance in…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 7, 2025 at 4:16 PM

Trump takes notes from Putin and Kim Jong Un

Trump takes notes from Putin and Kim Jong Un Dictators love elections. They just hate free and fair elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin spends more than $1 billion to create the illusion that his citizens have the ability to elect their own leaders. With electronic voting and an …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 7, 2025 at 11:03 AM

What weaponization looks like

What weaponization looks like In a clear example of Trump’s weaponization of government, the Justice Department opened a grand jury probe into Obama administration officials based on misleading claims by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. It comes after Trump declared forme…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 6, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Happy (last?) birthday to the Voting Rights Act

Happy (last?) birthday to the Voting Rights Act The Voting Rights Act, the landmark Civil Rights era law that has long protected minority voters from racially gerrymandered maps, turned 60 today. But instead of celebrating, legal experts are bracing for what could be its final days. …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 6, 2025 at 5:34 PM

Texas GOP’s big mistake isn’t what you think it is

Texas GOP’s big mistake isn’t what you think it is In politics, as in life, timing is everything. Great leaders understand when to act boldly and when to hold the line — when to compromise and when to walk away. In elections, successful candidates understand the electoral calendar and le…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 6, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Can DOJ access states' voter data?

Can DOJ access states' voter data? For months, states have received unusual letters and emails from the U.S. Department of Justice demanding access to voter registration rolls and making wide-ranging requests for information to prove compliance with federal voting laws. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 5, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Texas AG will ask courts to vacate seats of Democrats halting GOP map

Texas AG will ask courts to vacate seats of Democrats halting GOP map Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he will pursue legal action against Democrats who do not return to the House by Friday, following Gov. Greg Abbott’s threat to remove the quorum-breaking lawmakers from office. …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM

No quorum, no problem — Texas Dems hit back

No quorum, no problem — Texas Dems hit back Whenever someone tries to give me credit for saving democracy, I correct them. The litigation I bring is not saving democracy. Even when successful, that isn’t its aim. My goal, I explain, is simply to buy time for democracy to be saved through…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 5, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Answering your questions: Texas Dems, DOJ voter data and more

Answering your questions: Texas Dems, DOJ voter data and more Each week, I take time from my day job as a lawyer to answer your questions and keep you informed about the latest in the fight for democracy. If you have a question for me, make sure to submit it for the next edition! …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 4, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Republicans issue arrest warrants for Texas Democrats – they likely aren’t enforceable 

Republicans issue arrest warrants for Texas Democrats – they likely aren’t enforceable Today the Texas House voted to issue arrest warrants for the Democrats that left. However, experts say it’s unlikely the warrants will actually return Democrats to Texas, contrary to Republicans’ claim…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 4, 2025 at 4:38 PM

Democrats fight back

Democrats fight back Texas Republicans continued to march their obscene gerrymander through the legislature they dominate. If enacted, the resulting map will add five more Republican seats to an already severely gerrymandered landscape. View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 3, 2025 at 9:30 PM

BREAKING: Texas Democrats vacate state to block GOP map

BREAKING: Texas Democrats leave to block GOP congressional map A group of Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday, activating their emergency plan to block a hastily-drawn Republican congressional map that’s poised to set off a national redistricting battle between red states an…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM

I’m not panicking. I’m outraged.

I’m not panicking. I’m outraged. I have been the subject of many spurious accusations and politically motivated attacks, but this one is in a class by itself. According to Tulsi Gabbard — the nation’s top intelligence official — my refusal to post on Twitter is being reviewed by the Depa…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM

My conversation with Rep. Robert Garcia: Redistricting, Epstein Files and more

My conversation with Rep. Robert Garcia: Redistricting, Epstein Files and more Recently, I sat down with Congressman Robert Garcia — ranking member of the House Oversight Committee — for an interview. We talked about Rep. Garcia’s charge to release the Epstein Files, the debate over redi…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM

August Showdowns: Voting rights and authoritarian overreach

August Showdowns: Voting rights and authoritarian overreach Congress may be in recess, but it's a busy month on the docket for democracy. The GOP’s anti-voting machine isn’t slowing down and key cases in the fight against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda will take center st…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 2, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Election denialism ramps up in Georgia

Election denialism ramps up in Georgia This week, while most eyes were on the GOP’s redistricting gambit in Texas or the Democrats’ U.S. Senate recruitment win in North Carolina, the election denier movement was squarely focused on Georgia. View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 1, 2025 at 10:03 PM

BREAKING: SCOTUS set to gut VRA again

BREAKING: SCOTUS set to gut VRA again The U.S. Supreme Court escalated the high-stakes redistricting battle in Louisiana by ordering new legal briefings on whether intentionally creating a second majority-Black congressional district — to comply with the Voting Rights Act — might violate…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

August 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM

What happens after Texas gerrymanders?

What happens after Texas gerrymanders? Donald Trump has spent the last six months relentlessly attacking our democracy — and this week proved that the cracks are starting to show. His personal lawyer and Department of Justice hatchet man, Emil Bove, is now a federal judge. Republicans mo…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

August 1, 2025 at 11:04 AM

Democrats hint at legal challenge to Texas redistricting

Democrats hint at legal challenge to Texas redistricting Republicans have unveiled their new, extra-gerrymandered Texas congressional map. Democrats say the plan likely violates the Voting Rights Act and could swiftly be challenged in court, if passed. Friday, August 1 …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 31, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Georgia election board wants Trump administration to probe 2020 contest

Georgia election board wants Trump administration to probe 2020 contest The Far-right majority on Georgia’s election board wants Trump’s Justice Department to help it obtain voting records and documents related to the 2020 elections from the state’s largest county. Thursday, …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 31, 2025 at 11:01 AM

Trump’s DOJ ‘hatchet man’ becomes a judge

Trump’s DOJ ‘Hatchet Man’ Becomes a Judge The Senate GOP confirmed Emil Bove, a senior Justice Department official and former personal attorney to Trump, for a lifetime federal judgeship. Senators backed Bove even after multiple whistleblowers raised allegations against him and nearly 1,…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 30, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Republicans release proposed Texas congressional map

Republicans release proposed Texas congressional map Texas Republicans released their proposed congressional map that could add five new Republican seats and set off a nationwide redistricting battle between red and blue states over control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 30, 2025 at 5:40 PM

Have you taken our survey yet? Last chance!

Have you taken our survey yet? Last chance! It’s been 5 years since I started Democracy Docket and we’ve grown to over 425,000 readers — we’d love to get to know you and what you’re looking to get out of your newsletter subscription. View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 30, 2025 at 11:03 AM

United Sovereign Americans is back – and still filing conspiracy-driven lawsuits

United Sovereign Americans is back – and still filing conspiracy-driven lawsuits The anti-voting group United Sovereign Americans is back, now known as Unite4Freedom, and they claim to be filing two bombshell lawsuits in New York and Colorado. View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 29, 2025 at 10:02 PM

DOJ said to plan to ask all 50 states for voter data

DOJ said to plan to ask all 50 states for voter data The Department of Justice intends to request voting information from every state, an association of state election officials exclusively told Democracy Docket. Numerous states already have received letters asking for sensitive voter da…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM

What the DOJ is doing behind the scenes

What the DOJ is doing behind the scenes Donald Trump is a man obsessed with voter suppression and election conspiracies. He makes no secret of his willingness to misuse the Department of Justice to achieve his political objectives. Every day brings further evidence that the 2026 election…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 29, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Member Q&A is back

Member Q&A is back I enjoy these Q&As because it gives me a forum to engage with members directly, so I thought I’d bring them back. If you have a question for me, make sure to submit it for the next edition! View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

July 28, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Texas Republican redistricting chair admits he hasn’t looked at census data

Texas Republican redistricting chair admits he hasn’t looked at census data Asked whether he was aware that most of the state’s population growth over the past decade has come from communities of color, Rep. Cody Vasut (R), chair of the House redistricting committee, admitted he wasn’t. …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM

Credible, the GOP’s favorite new word

Credible, the GOP’s favorite new word In their never-ending crusade to stop the bleeding over Donald Trump’s refusal to release the full Epstein Files, Republicans have seized on a new qualifier for what should be released: “credible.” View in browser …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 27, 2025 at 4:32 PM

The GOP’s new voter suppression architect

The GOP’s new voter suppression architect When Republicans were desperate to win the 2014 Senate election in North Carolina, they selected Thom Tillis as their nominee. Tillis was the Speaker of the state House when the GOP enacted a sprawling anti-voting law. In considering what provisi…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

July 27, 2025 at 11:12 AM

My conversation with ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero

My conversation with ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero We talked about the strategy behind bringing hard cases, the recent Supreme Court decisions, the ACLU’s vital impact, and much more. View in browser July 27, 2025 …

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