Monday, March 10

Here are the facts: The Trump administration is working overtime to chip away at our democratic freedoms. Help support our pro-democracy news outlet as we strive to hold Trump accountable — become a premium member for $120/year and join us in the fight for a stronger, more transparent democracy.

The United States is in a "soft coup"

• Former U.S. Attorney and legal expert Joyce Vance talks with Marc about whether the court system can hold Trump accountable, how Trump loyalists are trying to transform the DOJ and why she believes we’re in a "soft coup."

  
  

Trump’s firings target 90-year-old ruling protecting independent agencies

• The D.C. District Court has handed Trump three losses in a row by ruling that he violated federal laws in firing the heads or board members of independent agencies. But the legal battle over the dismissals is just beginning.

  
  

• His administration said it seeks to get lawsuits challenging the dismissals before the Supreme Court. As Democracy Docket reported, it’s looking to overturn a 90-year-old ruling that serves as the backbone of agencies’ authority to operate without direct control from the White House.

  
  

Trump’s DOJ withdraws claims in Texas redistricting lawsuit

• The DOJ dropped its claims against Texas's congressional and legislative maps. Under the Biden administration, the DOJ argued the maps diluted the voting power of communities of color, violating the Voting Rights Act. Now, the Trump administration has reversed course.

  
  

• Despite the DOJ’s dismissal, litigation is ongoing, with a coalition of pro-voting groups continuing their legal efforts for fair maps in Texas. A trial is tentatively set for May.

  
  

Montana voter registration penalty law is permanently blocked

• Pro-voting groups reached an agreement with Montana’s secretary of state and attorney general to permanently block portions of a Republican-backed law that could have criminalized voters who are inadvertently registered to vote elsewhere.

  
  

• The agreement comes after more than a year of litigation challenging provisions of House Bill 892. Backers said it was intended to block voters who register to vote in Montana from deliberately remaining registered in another jurisdiction. But the law imposed criminal penalties and fines even on people who violated the provision inadvertently.

  
  

Judge dismisses lawsuit over Georgia's absentee ballot deadline

• On Friday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s absentee ballot application deadline for presidential elections. The case was dismissed for lack of standing.

  
  

New GOP bills target student voters

• GOP lawmakers in Montana and Indiana are pushing bills to make it harder for students to participate in elections by redefining residency requirements for voter registration and removing student ID cards as an accepted form of voter ID. Marc and Paige Moskowitz discuss in a video the potential impact of these bills and why Republicans continue to target student voters.

  
  

We can’t give in to fear

• It is often said: When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. If that is true, then only weeks into Donald Trump’s four-year term, we are approaching tyranny. Marc provides insight on the importance of speaking up.

  
  

Hearings coming up tomorrow

• A court in Washington, DC will hold a hearing in a lawsuit challenging Trump's firings of eight inspectors general — Senate-confirmed officials who audit and investigate federal agencies to prevent fraud.

  
  

• A federal court in Washington, DC will hold a hearing in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. African Development Foundation, a federal agency that is suing to prevent DOGE from shutting down its work.