Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 24, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Whistleblower: Senior DOJ official suggested department ignore court orders

Whistleblower: Senior DOJ official suggested department ignore court orders Emil Bove, a senior DOJ official and 3rd Circuit judicial nominee, suggested the Justice Department should ignore federal court orders to execute Trump’s aggressive deportations, according to a whistleblower fami…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 24, 2025 at 7:32 PM

I'm going live tonight

I'm going live tonight Tune in and submit any election, courts or democracy-related question on your mind. If you can’t make it, don’t worry. We will send the recording to those who sign up. View in browser Have…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 24, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Trump’s blueprint for political prosecutions 

Trump’s blueprint for political prosecutions It is 2025 and Donald Trump is still lying about the outcome of the 2020 election. Sadly, spinning false conspiracy theories about that election has become standard fare for the MAGA faithful. Yet recently, Trump made clear that he intends to …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 23, 2025 at 10:02 PM

MAGA cheers Trump’s call for prosecutor to probe 2020 election 

MAGA cheers Trump’s call for prosecutor to probe 2020 election Right-wing figures are praising Trump after he called for a special prosecutor to investigate false claims and conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Monday, June 23 View in bro…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 23, 2025 at 5:47 PM

Republicans in Congress once again surrender to Trump

Republicans in Congress once again surrender to Trump I may not be an expert on the use of presidential power to conduct military operations, however, I know this: the Constitution grants Congress the power to “provide for the common defense” and to “declare War.” View i…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 22, 2025 at 5:06 PM

This Tuesday: Live Q&A with Marc Elias on Trump 2.0

This Tuesday: Live Q&A with Marc Elias on Trump 2.0 We know you have many questions and Democracy Docket founder and voting rights lawyer Marc Elias is ready to answer them. Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET | Live on Zoom View in browser …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM

My conversation with Brad Lander: ICE arrest, Trump vs. blue cities and more

My conversation with Brad Lander: ICE arrest, Trump vs. blue cities and more This week, I sat down with Brad Lander — New York City comptroller and candidate for mayor — for an interview on our YouTube channel. We talked about his recent ICE arrest, why the Trump administration is going …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Weekend reading list: False voting claims, 2026 election denialism and more

Weekend reading list: False voting claims, 2026 election denialism and more This was yet another week where the news was hard to miss. Another Democrat was manhandled and arrested, this time New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander. The Supreme Court continu…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 20, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Appeals court lets Trump keep control of California National Guard

Appeals court lets Trump keep control of California National Guard A federal appeals court let President Donald Trump maintain control of 4,000 California National Guard troops as legal challenges brought by the state continue. A three-judge panel unanimously ruled Thursday that a lower …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 20, 2025 at 4:03 PM

It's not just one arrest. It’s a strategy. 

It's not just one arrest. It’s a strategy. This week, the legacy media finally caught up to what I’ve been writing about for months: the use of federal government power to intimidate, investigate and prosecute political opponents. Slowly but surely, the Trump administration has begun ex…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Could Alabama be put under federal oversight for its discriminatory maps?

Could Alabama be put under federal oversight for its discriminatory maps? After repeatedly drawing racially biased maps and defying court orders, the state could face consequences for continuing to dilute minority votes. A federal court has already chastised Alabama for its refusal to co…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 19, 2025 at 10:02 PM

The American Bar Association’s lawsuit is a good start, but we need more

The American Bar Association’s lawsuit is a good start, but we need more The American Bar Association is suing the Trump administration over its executive orders targeting major law firms. This is good news for the rule of law and the vital role that lawyers play in our democracy. The l…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 19, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Feds keep arresting Democrats

Feds keep arresting Democrats After this week’s arrest of New York City’s comptroller, federal agents have now detained or taken into custody at least four elected officials — all Democrats — and two other public officials in recent weeks, including members of Congress and a sitting may…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 18, 2025 at 10:07 PM

Targeting of Dem officials is no longer a pattern, it’s an epidemic

Targeting of Dem officials is no longer a pattern, it’s an epidemic Marc Elias, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez discussed the arrest of a New York City official and Democratic mayoral candidate, as well as the legal fight to block  Trump’s federalization of the California National Gua…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 18, 2025 at 4:33 PM

Trump is targeting cities to weaponize government against the vote

Trump is targeting cities to weaponize government against the vote Donald Trump’s attack on free and fair elections took a dark turn this week. On Sunday night, Trump posted on social media that he wanted stepped-up immigration operations “in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 18, 2025 at 11:02 AM

ICYMI: DHS Said to Brief Cleta Mitchell’s Group on Citizenship Checks for Voting

ICYMI: DHS Said to Brief Cleta Mitchell’s Group on Citizenship Checks for Voting There’s a contentious legal situation brewing in Arizona’s Maricopa County, between the county’s newly minted far-right recorder, Justin Heap, and the Republican-controlled board of supervisors over electio…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 17, 2025 at 10:07 PM

ICE agents arrest NYC official, mayoral candidate outside immigration court

ICE agents arrest NYC official, mayoral candidate outside immigration court ICE agents arrested New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander outside an immigration court after he tried to escort someone out, making him the latest Democratic official to be detained by the T…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 17, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Both sides news coverage is killing democracy

Both sides news coverage is killing democracy There is a dangerous pathology that causes some otherwise intelligent people to bend over backward to excuse Republican voter suppression. Unable to defend it on the merits, they instead claim it is ineffective or even counterproductive. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM

Live Q&A on Trump 2.0 — Join us next week

Live Q&A on Trump 2.0 — join us next week We know you have many questions and Democracy Docket founder and voting rights lawyer Marc Elias is ready to answer them. Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET | Live on Zoom View in browser UP…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 16, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Trump uses false voting claims to target ‘Democrat power center’

Trump uses false voting claims to target ‘Democrat power center’ Trump ordered ICE to target major U.S. cities, the “core of the Democrat Power Center," to punish his political opponents, citing election conspiracy theories that Democrats use undocumented immigrants to “expand their Vote…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 16, 2025 at 4:32 PM

10 years from that fateful escalator 

10 years from that fateful escalator As Donald Trump came down the escalator in Trump Tower in Manhattan, I was only blocks away at the makeshift offices of the nascent Clinton campaign. My immediate reaction was that Trump was a buffoon. I had grown up in New York and was familiar with …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 15, 2025 at 11:03 AM

My conversation with Leah Litman: SCOTUS, Big Law, Dems’ Joe Rogan and more

My conversation with Leah Litman: SCOTUS, Big Law, the media and more This week, I sat down with Leah Litman — law professor at the University of Michigan and co-host of the popular Supreme Court podcast, Strict Scrutiny — for an interview on our YouTube channel. We talked about her excl…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 14, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Weekend reading list: Trying something new

Weekend reading list: Trying something new A year ago I started sending premium members a weekly Saturday reading list. Each week I tried to give them a sense of what stories I was reading that might not be garnering the most attention in the legacy media. From time to time, I offered su…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM

What to know about Saturday’s “No Kings Day” protests

What to know about Saturday’s “No Kings Day” protests Millions will rally nationwide tomorrow for "No Kings Day" to protest Trump’s authoritarian agenda. The ACLU told Democracy Docket that the demonstrations are about "sending a strong message that we are going to have a free and fair d…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM

A different constitutional crisis has arrived

A different constitutional crisis has arrived Ever since Donald Trump took the Oath of Office, we have been bracing for a full-blown constitutional crisis. Like many of you, my focus has been on the courts. With each passing court ruling, I have waited with bated breath to see if Trump w…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 13, 2025 at 11:03 AM

California challenges Trump’s authoritarian military use

California challenges Trump’s authoritarian military use Los Angelenos are continuing to protest arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even as President Donald Trump escalates the conflict by sending in California National Guard troops and U.S. Marines. Fr…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 12, 2025 at 11:31 PM

I warned you then and we’re doubling down now

I warned you then and we’re doubling down now In 2020, when I told people that I was building a pro-democracy media outlet, people thought I was kidding. Donald Trump was entering the last year of his first term. COVID was not yet a pandemic. Joe Biden was in the process of securing the…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 12, 2025 at 10:05 PM

SCOOP: DHS said to brief Cleta Mitchell’s group on citizenship checks for voting

SCOOP: DHS said to brief Cleta Mitchell’s group on citizenship checks for voting A senior official at the Department of Homeland Security held a briefing for a far-right anti-voting group today, according to an email sent by the group. Thursday, June 12 View in bro…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 12, 2025 at 11:01 AM

Trump’s pouring ‘fuel on the fire’

Trump’s pouring ‘fuel on the fire’ By federalizing the California National Guard in response to protests, Trump is asserting broad powers that could be used against any state over the objections of governors, legal scholars and national security experts told Democracy Docket. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Democratic member of Congress indicted over ICE confrontation

Democratic member of Congress indicted over ICE confrontation Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) was indicted by a federal grand jury for confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a May oversight visit. She’s accused of “forcibly impeding” federal agents, a charge carrying…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 11, 2025 at 8:23 PM

Newsom is just the latest target out of Trump’s DOJ

Newsom is just the latest target out of Trump’s DOJ Shortly before the 2024 election, Donald Trump threatened lawyers like me with criminal prosecution. Our crime? Working for Democrats and protecting voting rights. This was not exactly new, but it was an escalation. Several months earli…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 11, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Election deniers are trying to impeach Michigan’s secretary of state

Election deniers are trying to impeach Michigan’s secretary of state Michigan Republican lawmakers introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) earlier this month alleging “corrupt conduct in office” and “crimes and misdemeanors.” That sounds like seri…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 10, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Judge lets Trump use military in California — for now

Judge lets Trump use military in California — for now California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) asked a federal court to issue an emergency order blocking Trump from using the state’s National Guard troops and Marines to aid in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 9, 2025 at 10:03 PM

California suing Trump over federalizing National Guard

California suing Trump over federalizing National Guard California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state will sue Trump for sending at least 300 National Guard troops to Los Angeles protests against ICE raids — the first such deployment without gubernatorial consent since 1965. …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM

The Weekend: Trump & Musk & the Supreme Court, oh my!

The Weekend: Trump & Musk & the Supreme Court, oh my! Donald Trump had a busy weekend. He warned Elon Musk against supporting Democrats in 2026, deployed 2,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles and rolled tanks into Washington D.C., for an authoritarian-styl…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Supreme Court allows DOGE to proceed with accessing social security data

Supreme Court allows DOGE to proceed with accessing social security data The U.S. Supreme Court gave the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a green light to access millions of Americans’ most sensitive data. The unsigned 6-3 decision granted the Trump administration’s emergency r…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 6, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Minority voters fight gerrymandered map in Tarrant County

Minority voters fight gerrymandered map in Tarrant County Voters are suing Tarrant County Republican officials for approving a redistricting map designed to cut minority voting power. Friday, June 6 View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 5, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Judge says Trump admin must allow challenges to El Salvador removals

Judge says Trump admin must allow challenges to El Salvador removals Separately, a coalition of immigrants rights organizations and criminal defense lawyers sued to block the Trump administration from paying El Salvador to imprison the hundreds of removed Venezuelan migrants. …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM

Pay attention to DOGE's new leader, not Elon's drama

Pay attention to DOGE's new leader, not Elon's drama Elon Musk left DOGE to start drama, but the department will continue to wreak havoc on millions of Americans with its new successor, Russell Vought, who Democracy Docket dug into this week. Thursday, June 5 View …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 5, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Meet Russell Vought, the new face of DOGE

Meet Russell Vought, the new face of DOGE Though Elon Musk is leaving the White House, DOGE isn’t going anywhere. It appears that a key architect of Project 2025 is stepping in to become the faux agency’s new power broker. Thursday, June 5 View in browser …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 4, 2025 at 10:02 PM

Minority voters allege racial gerrymandering in Tarrant County, Texas

Minority voters allege racial gerrymandering in Tarrant County, Texas Tarrant County, Texas GOP officials teamed up with a leading anti-voting group and the national party’s top redistricting strategist on a gerrymander that reduces the power of minority voters. In response, a group of m…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM

NEW: How national Republicans helped gerrymander maps in Tarrant County, Texas

NEW: How national Republicans helped gerrymander maps in Tarrant County, Texas Today at Democracy Docket, we’re publishing a package on a story you likely haven’t heard a lot about from the national media. The Republicans who run Tarrant County, Texas, have passed a new gerrymandered dis…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 4, 2025 at 11:03 AM

A prominent Arizona election denier says he briefed the White House on election integrity

A prominent Arizona election denier says he briefed the White House on election integrity Seth Keshel, a former Army intelligence captain who has promoted some of the most outlandish false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, wrote that he was recently invited to the White House …

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM

Musk left the White House. What does that mean for DOGE?

Musk left the White House. What does that mean for DOGE? After spending around nearly $300M to help get Trump elected, billionaire Elon Musk’s tumultuous time in the government has come to an end. But the numerous lawsuits hailed against him and DOGE  over the last 130 days may not be go…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Don’t be fooled by Trump’s alleged break with the Federalist Society

Don’t be fooled by Trump’s alleged break with the Federalist Society The sudden falling out between Donald Trump and the Federalist Society is a ruse. Don’t be fooled. Trump is doing what he always does: creating a permission structure within the GOP to seize power and undermine the rule…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

June 2, 2025 at 10:02 PM

DOJ’s new top voting lawyer worked for leading anti-voting law firm

DOJ’s new top voting lawyer worked for leading anti-voting law firm The DOJ's new top voting lawyer previously worked for an anti-voting legal group and has appeared with the prominent election denier Cleta Mitchell, according to a Democracy Docket exclusive. The appointment highlights t…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM

A short weekend ahead of a long week

A short weekend ahead of a long week Recently, weeks have inverted in the legal world. The days have been steady, even sometimes quiet. Then, on Friday afternoon, we received a torrent of court opinions and orders. Even the administration has been at its most outrageous heading into and …

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

June 1, 2025 at 1:01 PM

The Department of Injustice

The Department of Injustice The Department of Justice no longer represents the best interests of the American people. Under Bondi, it has been transformed into little more than a cog in the authoritarian machine doing Donald Trump’s bidding. It has abandoned independent judgment and feal…

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  Marc Elias · [email protected]

May 31, 2025 at 11:03 AM

The end of Elon’s government inefficiency

The end of Elon’s government inefficiency Elon Musk came into the administration with a bang and left four months later with barely a whimper. His mission, on paper, was to make the government better and more responsive. He failed on both fronts. In the end, there was nothing efficient a…

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  Democracy Docket · [email protected]

May 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM

The fight for a pro-democracy agenda continues

The fight for a pro-democracy agenda continues Trump is a grave threat to our freedom and the rule of law. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) sat down with Marc to discuss the GOP’s threat to his district, the importance of passing the SAFE Act, and how to expand our pro-democracy agenda. …

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