When I started Democracy Docket five years ago, it was in response to Donald Trump’s attacks on voting and elections. I wanted a place to catalog these assaults on democracy and serve as a resource for chronicling how the courts were reacting.
At the time, the unwritten rules on elections were clear: Governments set election laws and rules, parties operate within them or challenge them and when disputes arise, courts decide who is right. Democracy Docket’s innovation was explaining and providing context — what was at stake in each case, what the disputes were about, who the parties were and what the outcomes would mean for voters and elections.
Trump’s election in 2024 forced Democracy Docket to expand its coverage to include other types of attacks on the rule of law and democracy. However, the basic framework for understanding what is happening remains the same: Trump takes action, litigants sue saying it violates the law or Constitution and the courts decide who is right.
However, something has fundamentally changed over the last few weeks…
