This Independence Day, we celebrate the promise of American democracy & recommit to protecting it. 🇺🇸 The American experiment began with a refusal to accept a sovereign’s abuse of power and a determination to place the rule of law above the will of any single leader. At 250, that work continues.

Reports of the White House considering "250 pardons for 250 years" underscore an issue we examined earlier this year: how Trump has used pardon power to reward, maintain, or coerce political loyalty.

The Trump admin is moving forward with a sweeping USDA reorganization despite Congress rejecting the plan. We are asking the court to block it before it disrupts services that feed families, support farmers & protect communities. Proud to be part of the coalition w/ AFGE @afscme.bsky.social & more.

As the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, we are revisiting its core question: what does it mean to live under a government of laws, not of individuals? Our work is grounded in that answer—through defending the rule of law, protecting elections, and fighting corruption.

How seriously should we take Trump’s threat to enact legislation to end birthright citizenship? “Not seriously at all,” DDF Senior Counsel Taryn Wilgus Null told the @nytimes.com. The Constitution is built to withstand the personal whims of one president. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06...

Our Chief Counsel Virginia Canter joined It’s the Democracy, Stupid to break down how we are using using legal ethics complaints and litigation to challenge conflicts of interest, DOJ misconduct, and failures of accountability across the federal government.

Birthright citizenship stands. For Plaintiff K, it means her daughter’s future is secure. Translated by DDF’s Caroline Porcile: “It was important for me to fight for these rights, for me and all migrants like me who fled violence and have children in the U.S.” @ms.now

DDF’s Carolina Porcile reflects on today’s landmark birthright ruling & what it means for our client, Plaintiff K. “A momentous decision — K has endured adversity few of us can imagine & this relief for her family is monumental — for her & for us as her representatives.” @msnowreports.bsky.social

Today, the SCOTUS reaffirmed a simple constitutional truth: if you're born in the U.S., you're an American. Birthright citizenship remains protected under the 14th Amendment, and we are proud to be part of this fight with @aclu.org @legaldefensefund.bsky.social @asianlawcaucus.org & others.

As we celebrate our win at the Supreme Court in the case defending birthright citizenship, we want to thank our partners who fought tirelessly to defend this essential right: @aclumaine.bsky.social, @aclum.bsky.social, ACLU of New Hampshire, @asianlawcaucus.org 🧵

One of Trump's first acts was an attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order. Today, SCOTUS said no. The 14th Amendment means what it says. This is a win for our client, for 200,000+ babies and their families. It's why we keep fighting to uphold the rule of law.

For more than a century, birthright citizenship has guaranteed equal citizenship to every child born in this country. That promise endures today.

SCOTUS blocked Trump's attempt to unlawfully remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The Fed remains free from political interference—for now. Today's ruling is a blow to Trump's unprecedented political retribution. www.democracydefendersfund.org/prs/06.29.26...

East Potomac Park was created for the people. We sued after the Trump administration moved to convert it into a more exclusive golf course while dumping toxic White House demolition debris on the site. The law protects public lands—and we're fighting to enforce it.

Today's ruling in Watson v. RNC reinforces an essential feature of our constitutional system: states—not national political parties—set the rules for administering elections. We were proud to support that principle in our amicus brief on behalf of @LULAC.

Acting AG Blanche never contested that DOJ met its legal expectations—likely because he couldn't. Blanche's failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act is one reason we're calling an ethics investigation.

"As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence, we are called not only to commemorate our founding but also to ask what we are willing to do to preserve the democracy it created."

OPM is proposing a government-wide NDA for federal employees. The policy exceeds OPM's legal authority and imposes sweeping restrictions on speech that Congress has never authorized—and conflicts with the First Amendment. www.democracydefendersfund.org/prs/06.26.26...

A federal judge found that Acting AG Blanche conceded that the DOJ did not comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

The Trump administration says its $1.8B "anti-weaponization" fund is over. But when a federal judge asked officials to say so under oath, they refused—despite complying with similar requests in other cases. If there's nothing to hide, what's the hesitation?

As President Trump celebrated the unveiling of the Qatari jet, crucial questions about the reported cost of retrofitting the aircraft and the source of those funds remain unanswered. Taxpayers deserve transparency, which is why we called for an investigation. www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/u...

The AG's obligation is to the Constitution, the law, and the public—not one man or one party. Tune in to @joyannreid.bsky.social w/ DDF’s Virginia Canter and Chris Swartz on why AG Blanche's conduct warrants independent scrutiny. https://www.youtube.com/live/7_Ma2l7z49c?si=wLrrofz4WjRLiPa5&t=2674

President Trump has pointed to "vandalism" at the reflecting pool. DDF's Joshua Kolb joined @npr.org to discuss the case of David Hearn, the facts behind the allegations, and reports that the pool's problems were known long before he ever touched the water.

The Constitution does not leave lawmakers vulnerable to prosecution for carrying out legitimate oversight. @replamonica.bsky.social's hearing today is a critical test of that principle. Congress can't function as a check on exec power if lawmakers face criminal exposure for doing their jobs.

Todd Blanche took an oath to uphold the Constitution and put ethics over private gain. 101 judges joined in raising concerns about Blanche’s professional conduct, including his handling of the Epstein files, political retribution campaigns and the $1.8B partisan slush fund.

We & @ldadorg.bsky.social & 101 former fed & state judges are calling for an ethics investigation into Acting AG Todd Blanche. Formerly Trump’s personal attorney, he mishandled the Epstein files & facilitated a $1.8B slush fund for Jan. 6 rioters. The DOJ is not the president’s personal law firm.

Federal judges are pushing back against Trump's disregard for the law. CNN found "unusually sharp criticism" in 77 recent rulings, ranging from political retribution to attempts to rewrite the Constitution. We're proud to challenge these unlawful actions & to stand w/ pro-democracy partners.

Karen Attiah sat down with Raw America to discuss her ongoing arbitration against the Washington Post.

We are calling on DOJ's Ethics Office to require Acting AG Blanche's recusal from developing a rule that would give him the power to review state bar ethics complaints against DOJ lawyers — including complaints against himself.

UFC fighters are set to be paid in USD1, a stablecoin issued by WLF, a Trump family business. In sum: Trump hosted an ultimate fighting event on WH grounds—the people's house. His billionaire ally David Ellison, who runs Paramount, profited via exclusive streaming rights.

“We will continue to expose grift, demand accountability, and defend our democracy. And we will fully cooperate with any legitimate oversight request while making clear what this is: a political attack masquerading as an investigation.”

The Trump White House spent a year holding secret Situation Room meetings about Epstein, not to help survivors, but to protect Trump. The man deeply involved with that strategy: Todd Blanche, Trump's former defense attorney, has now been nominated to be Attorney General.

The Trump family continues to enrich itself, trading on their name name and power to net hundreds of millions while investors and others lose big. An investigation is in order. DDF’s Ginny Canter: “What happened to all that money?” www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/06/...

We're calling on CFTC to investigate Polymarket for violating its 2022 settlement agreement — and question whether Trump family ties are shaping enforcement decisions.

One investor’s $2k Trump memecoin is now $120. Another lost $60k in retirement savings via a Trump crypto venture. Meanwhile, Trump and his family risk $0 of their own money and rake in BILLIONS off their name and proximity to power.

From burying Epstein files to attacking Trump's political enemies to a $1.8B slush fund, Todd Blanche has spent his time at DOJ demonstrating his loyalty to Trump, not the American people. We should all be alarmed.

Congress told DOJ to release names of Epstein suspects and protect survivors. DOJ got it backwards. Now survivors live in fear and are subject to harassment as a direct consequence of DOJ’s failures. We’re committed to accountability, for Epstein's network and the DOJ.

For over a decade, Karen Attiah covered race, human rights, and democracy at The Washington Post before being fired for a social media post about Charlie Kirk. Yesterday she took her fight to arbitration, and we were proud to be in that room with her.

Eight months after challenging her termination, @karenattiah.bsky.social's case against The Washington Post will finally be heard by an arbitrator. youtu.be/5dHPme8Ga70?...

Our panel is live at Netroots Nation in Philadelphia! Federal interference in elections is a five-alarm threat. We're here with partners @lulacorg.bsky.social and @allvotingislocal.bsky.social to talk about how communities fight back and keep voting power where it belongs.

BREAKING: @democracydefendersfund.org is calling on the UK's Competition & Markets Authority urging a full probe into the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger Higher prices, fewer projects, gutted news archives, silenced voices Opposition is growing on both sides of the Atlantic #BlockTheMerger

Kash Patel took a taxpayer-funded trip to the Winter Olympics. While the FBI Director was busy chugging beer in the U.S. hockey team's locker room: an armed breach at Mar-a-Lago ended in a fatal shooting, and Trump was weighing military strikes on Iran.

Two former prosecutors from the DOJ's Capitol Siege Section held Jan. 6 rioters accountable. Our lawsuit representing 2 former DOJ prosecutors explains how Trump & DOJ are trying to rewrite history and make it out like the prosecutors did something wrong.

Alabama wants to change its congressional maps on an impossible timeline. Among a myriad of challenges, election officials would only have a day to complete a process that normally takes three to four months.

I am not fighting alone. As we head into arbitration against @washingtonpost.com, I am thankful for the support of @postguild.bsky.social, and my lawyers at the @wbng.org. Also grateful to @normeisen.bsky.social and legal support from the @democracydefendersfund.org and @contrariannews.org!

BREAKING: U.S. judge temporarily blocks Trump DOJ's wildly unpopular $1.8B slush fund. The fund was created after Trump circumvented courts to settle his personal lawsuit against the IRS.

Trump's DOL wants to make it easier to put your 401(k) into crypto — while the president has nearly $2 billion tied to the digital asset industry. Today, we filed a formal comment opposing the rule. The WH calls it relieving regulatory burden, we call it financial conflict of immense proportions.

Pam Bondi ran the DOJ like the rules didn't apply to her. Today, DDF and 100+ others joined a retired FL Supreme Court Chief Justice in filing an ethics complaint with the Florida Bar — calling for an investigation into her conduct.

On #MemorialDay we pause to honor those who gave their lives for our country and our freedoms. We defend the promise of the America they fought for, one where every vote counts, freedom belongs to all, and no one is above the law.

Officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 are suing to stop Trump's $1.77B taxpayer fund, money that could go to the very rioters who attacked them. Our issue brief breaks down how we got here. https://www.democracydefendersfund.org/trump-self-dealing