Trump started the redistricting arms race, but it’s not going very well for him at the moment. This week, voters had big wins in California and Virginia.

Friday, January 16

View in browser ([link removed] )

NL-Header_OTD-4 ([link removed] )

THIS WEEK

- Big wins this week in California, Virginia redistricting battles

- Supreme Court opens election litigation floodgates

- North Carolina state board rejects early voting site at country’s largest Black university

REDISTRICTING

Big wins this week in California, Virginia redistricting battles

We’re only two weeks into the new year, but 2026 is already proving to be almost mind-numbingly overwhelming if you’re trying to stay informed. Fortunately, on the redistricting front ([link removed] ) at least, there’s a lot of good news to help balance out the unrelenting waves of gloomy developments in, well, most other parts of American political life.

Since President Donald Trump pressured GOP-controlled states to redraw their maps last year to help rig the 2026 midterms, Democrats have fought back to counter his plans, with lawmakers in California and Virginia taking the lead.

This week, a federal court rejected ([link removed] ) a Republican attempt* to block the California redistricting plan voters resoundingly approved in November. The GOP argued the new map was an illegal racial gerrymander and asked a panel of three federal judges to grant a preliminary injunction. The majority opinion more or less called the GOP claims completely ridiculous, saying voters approved the plan because they were motivated by partisanship, not race. (Remember, partisan gerrymanders are a-okay, according to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

Speaking of which, Republicans are unlikely to find success by appealing to the Supreme Court. Three GOP-appointed justices already wrote ([link removed] ) in the December decision on Texas redistricting that the California map was a partisan gerrymander.

Republicans had a bad week in Virginia, too. A court rejected ([link removed] ) their emergency attempt to stop lawmakers from voting on a constitutional amendment allowing them to redistrict in response to redistricting other states.

Virginia Democrats then swiftly passed ([link removed] ) the amendment in the House of Delegates. The Senate is expected to take it up soon. If it passes, the constitutional amendment next goes to the voters, who will have the final say on whether to fight back against Trump’s gerrymanders. Read more about Virginia redistricting here ([link removed] ) .

The Elias Law Group (ELG) represents the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), an intervenor defendant in the California case. ELG firm chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.

SCOTUS

Supreme Court opens election litigation floodgates, says any candidate can challenge voting laws

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled ([link removed] ) * Wednesday that any candidate for federal office may challenge election laws governing their election – overturning the 7th Circuit Court in the Bost v. Illinois State Board of Election case ([link removed] ) .

The court’s decision was about whether an Illinois GOP congressman had standing to challenge a state law allowing the counting of mail-in ballots received after election day. By ruling that he did, SCOTUS may have just triggered a deluge of future litigation over the counting and certifying of election results.

For years, courts had held that candidates can only challenge an election law if it could potentially influence the outcome of their race. Now, SCOTUS says it’s open season. Read more about the Bost ruling here ([link removed] ) .

*The Democratic Party of Illinois, which filed an amicus brief in this case, is represented by the Elias Law Group (ELG). ELG firm chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.



Have you been meaning to become a member? Now’s the moment ([link removed] ) . Join 50,000+ readers who upgraded to support our mission.





BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER
([link removed] )



VOTING

North Carolina election board rejects early voting site at country’s largest Black university

With Black students silently protesting in the front row, North Carolina’s state board of elections this week voted to deny a request to provide a primary election early voting location at North Carolina A&T State University, the largest of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities.

It’s just the latest way Republicans are making it harder to vote in North Carolina since they took over the state election board last May.

Students implored the board to give them a campus polling site, writing in a letter that it would make voting easy and accessible, particularly for students who don’t have cars.

The board rejected the request. Then, for good measure, they also blocked Sunday voting hours in many counties. Read more about North Carolina here ([link removed] ) .

OPINION

Trump wishes he seized ballots in 2020. What does that mean for 2026?

Screenshot 2026-01-15 at 2.54.40 PM ([link removed] )

Trump recently made it very clear that he seriously considered using the military to interfere with vote counting in 2020. And, as Marc wrote this week, if Trump considers it again in 2026, there will be fewer barriers in his way.

“It is not just litigation that will be harder. So will be gaining and holding the public’s attention,” he wrote. Read more here ([link removed] ) .

NEW EPISODE

J.D. Vance’s dangerous attack on independent media

Marc exposes how the Trump administration and Vice President J.D. Vance are exploiting a tragic ICE killing in Minnesota to spread lies, smear a victim, and justify an alarming crackdown on independent media and free speech. He breaks down why targeting journalists and lawful speech is a direct threat to the First Amendment — and a key step in normalizing authoritarian power. Watch on YouTube here ([link removed] ) .

What we’re doing

img_8292_720 (1) ([link removed] )

(Courtesy of The New Yorker ([link removed] ) )

This is one of our free weekly newsletters. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to our newsletters here ([link removed] ) . For questions or help with your subscription, please visit our Help Center ([link removed] ) .

Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) | Manage Preferences ([link removed] ) | Donate ([link removed] )

Democracy Docket, LLC

250 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 400

Washington, D.C., 20009