Barton Gellman
@bartongellman.bsky.social
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@BrennanCenter | ex Atlantic, WaPo | Author, Angler & Dark Mirror | bartongellman.com/contact
pinned post!
Verification: this is the real Barton Gellman, senior advisor at the Brennan Center, author of Dark Mirror & Angler, and former staff writer at The Atlantic and The Washington Post.
over 1 year ago
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Don Moynihan
5 days ago
Honestly, this is good because it removes any plausible deniability about the type of people Trump put in charge of his domestic paramilitary operations
add a skeleton here at some point
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Joseph Cox
5 days ago
Wrote about how Bluesky users do not click links and read articles (yes, this is behind the scenes stuff so paywalled). Bluesky isn’t unique among social networks. Many people do not click through. Instead they scroll, maybe reply, and move on. Not good for journalism
www.404media.co/behind-the-b...
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Behind the Blog: Being New and Some Numbers
This week, we discuss going deeper and Google's search changes.
https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-being-new-and-some-numbers/
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Brennan Center
11 days ago
It’s time for Congress to return the Supreme Court to its proper place in the U.S. constitutional system. Congress can begin by passing these six urgently needed reforms.
bit.ly/4dbN1qI
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Six Solutions to Fix the Supreme Court
Congress must return the Court to its proper place in the U.S. constitutional system.
https://bit.ly/4dbN1qI
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Brennan Center
11 days ago
So far this year, six states have enacted laws reducing barriers to voting and six have new laws making it harder. Our new roundup has the details:
bit.ly/4dzRNNM
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State Voting Laws Roundup: May 2026
Voters across the country will face new voting restrictions in the upcoming midterms.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-voting-laws-roundup-may-2026
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Liz Dye
13 days ago
HOLY SHIT prosecutors kicked off grand jurors and then re-presented the case against the Broadview 6, then altered the grand jury transcripts to hide it from the judge.
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
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Ryan Goodman
12 days ago
An extraordinary rebuke of Todd Blanche and his Justice Department. Federal judge dismisses the indictment of Abrego Garcia (an exceedingly rare outcome in a criminal case). Finding of vindictive prosecution and "an abuse of prosecuting power." The opinion name checks Blanche nearly 30 times.
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Orin Kerr
12 days ago
District court dismisses indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia for vindictive and selective prosecution.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Brian Stelter
12 days ago
"Our country has some of the strongest legal protections in the world for free expression and due process," Sulzberger said, but "they mean nothing if the press is too timid to defend them." Read his full remarks here:
www.nytco.com/press/ag-sul...
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AG Sulzberger: ‘We Will Not Compromise’ on Independent Reporting | The New York Times Company
The New York Times publisher spoke in defense of a free press hosted by Yale Law School’s Floy Abrams Institute.
https://www.nytco.com/press/ag-sulzberger-we-will-not-compromise-on-independent-reporting/
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14 days ago
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18 days ago
From
@steverattner.bsky.social
: “This is extraordinary. I've been a professional investor for decades and I haven't made this many trades in my career.” Gobsmacking corruption no previous president would even try, without getting impeached and removed. 🤯
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸
18 days ago
A president's trading of securities for his personal account can in no way be argued to constitute activity that falls within the "outer perimeter" of his "official responsibilities."
www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-pre...
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Fmr. government watchdog says Trump stock trades are ‘completely unprecedented’
NBC News Senior National Political Reporter Jonathan Allen and Don Fox, former acting director and general counsel of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, join Meet the Press NOW to discuss the new s...
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/fmr-government-watchdog-says-trump-stock-trades-are-completely-unprecedented-263411781651?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
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Kyle Griffin
18 days ago
NYT confirms — with new details: Last year, Navy SEALs used two boats to escort Kash Patel and nine others on what a Pentagon email called a 'VIP Snorkel' next to one of the military's most sacred sites, the underwater tomb of the U.S.S. Arizona. One Navy vet called the swim "horrifying."
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Snorkeling at Pearl Harbor: Kash Patel’s Travels Add to Focus on Ethical Issues
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/us/politics/patel-fbi-travel-snorkeling-pearl-harbor.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
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MPR News
26 days ago
The first thing the editor in chief of the Roosevelt school newspaper did when she got home was hug her father. Then she opened her computer and started to type. Her article went viral. Lila Dominguez said running the newspaper during the ICE surge showed her “the power of truth.”
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‘The power of truth:’ How high school students reported on the ICE surge in their front yard
Student journalists at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis witnessed federal agents shove staffers and students and deploy pepper spray on school grounds last January. That inspired them to report st...
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/08/how-roosevelt-high-school-students-reported-on-the-ice-surge-in-minneapolis
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404 Media
27 days ago
A DHS official and another person who attended a recent conference described the plans to 404 Media.
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ICE Plans to Develop Own Smart Glasses to ‘Supplement’ Its Facial Recognition App
A DHS official and another person who attended a recent conference described the plans to 404 Media.
https://www.404media.co/ice-plans-to-develop-own-smart-glasses-to-supplement-its-facial-recognition-app/
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Brennan Center
29 days ago
On May 7, Clarence Thomas will trail only William O. Douglas in time served on the Supreme Court, with more than 34 years on the bench. We need term limits so no future justice can hold so much power for so long.
bit.ly/42Ql6qg
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Clarence Thomas Is About to Become the Second-Longest-Serving Supreme Court Justice Ever
His tenure has included multiple ethics scandals, as well as votes that helped roll back voting rights and ushered in unlimited corporate spending on elections.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/clarence-thomas-about-become-second-longest-serving-supreme-court-justice
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Brennan Center
about 1 month ago
As the midterm elections draw near, questions about voters’ trusted sources of information are top of mind. Polling shows that more than half of Americans get at least some of their news from social media — and that number is even larger for younger voters.
bit.ly/4cXdXJE
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The Age of New Media (with V Spehar)
Recorded on April 22, 2026As the midterm elections draw near, the questions of how voters get their information and who they are listening to are top of mind...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEJbuXlQb0
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Brennan Center
about 1 month ago
This morning's Supreme Court decision lays bare an unaccountable court that undermines democracy rather than protects it. Congress could and should use its power to reform the Supreme Court. Here's how.
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The Supreme Court is Dangerously Broken. Here’s How to Fix It
“Congress could and should use its power to reform the Supreme Court,” argue Miriam Rosenbaum and Emily Whitehead.
https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/the-supreme-court-is-dangerously-broken-here-s-how-to-fix-it/
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Rick Hasen
about 1 month ago
My New One at Slate: “The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Just Issued the Worst Ruling in a Century; This evisceration of the Voting Rights Act requires us to take SCOTUS reform more seriously.”
@slate.com
slate.com/news-and-pol...
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The Atlantic
about 1 month ago
Florida’s constitution prohibits partisan gerrymandering. Republicans are trying it anyway,
@russellberman.bsky.social
reports. While other states have held public redistricting debates, Florida’s efforts to redraw maps have been marked by secrecy and obfuscation.
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Florida Republicans Are Gerrymandering. They Just Can’t Say So.
The state constitution prohibits redrawing maps for political advantage.
https://bit.ly/4tCAjqV
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Pinky Weitzman
about 1 month ago
Whereupon Michael and I chat with the fantastic V Spehar of Under The Desk News about creators, disinformation, and the election cycle:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEJ...
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The Age of New Media (with V Spehar)
YouTube video by Brennan Center for Justice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEJbuXlQb0&list=PLBeVsyKQSVDL1p71FixntKwySu8y72Cbg&index=3
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Taniel
about 1 month ago
A federal judge dismisses DOJ's lawsuit to force Arizona to disclose its voter rolls, siding with (Dem) SoS Fontes. Her ruling ends with, "The Court will dismiss the Attorney General’s claim with prejudice because amendment would be legally futile."
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Kyle Cheney
about 1 month ago
JUST IN: Sixth straight loss for DOJ in lawsuits to obtain states’ voter rolls. This one in Arizona from Trump-appointed judge Susan Brnovich.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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ProPublica
about 2 months ago
The midterms will serve as an unprecedented stress test of the integrity of American elections “with more election deniers having access to federal power than ever before,” some experts and Democrats warn.
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Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
When Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held. But if faced with the same tests today, those barriers — and people who held the line — would l...
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-midterm-elections-takeover?utm_campaign=propublica-sprout&utm_content=1776557521&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
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Christopher Wiggins
about 2 months ago
Breaking: HHS’s ban on gender-affirming care is struck down. Rarely have I read a ruling this sharply worded. “This case is one of a long list of examples of how a leader’s wanton disregard for the rule of law causes very real harm to very real people.”
www.advocate.com/politics/nat...
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Federal judge unloads on ‘unserious’ RFK Jr., says anti-trans policy showed his ‘cruelty’
Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai vacated the “Kennedy Declaration,” finding it unlawfully attempted to override medical standards and restrict care for transgender youth.
https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/judge-calls-rfk-unserious?1
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Rachel Maddow
about 2 months ago
"She’s been a court interpreter for over 20 years, the only one licensed in Texas for Hindi, Punjabi, or Urdu. Her language skills are requested nationwide..." "One of her children recently enlisted in the military...
www.texasobserver.org/immigration-...
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Sam Breidbart
about 2 months ago
This a great gig for recent history and poli sci majors!
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Asha Rangappa
about 2 months ago
Great to know we have an objective jurist who focuses on the merits of the cases before him on the Court
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Andy Greenberg
about 2 months ago
Finally read Bottom's Up And the Devil Laughs by
@kerryhowley.bsky.social
. Can't think of a time when I've read nonfiction writing so smart and inventive that even events/people I had thought I'd read about before, even ones I've reported and written about myself, felt 100% new. Incredible book.
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Brennan Center
about 2 months ago
The Trump administration's plot to undermine the election is now clear. But with each move, there are effective countermoves,
@mawaldman.bsky.social
and
@kendallverhovek.bsky.social
write.
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Trump Is Waging War on Our Elections. These People Are Fighting Back.
The president is desperate to suppress the vote. Local officials, lawyers, nonprofit groups, and everyday citizens are resisting him every step of the way.
https://newrepublic.com/article/208540/trump-executive-order-citizen-election-list
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Ypsilanti District Library
11 months ago
Because everyone deserves a shot 🎯
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Robert Fields
about 2 months ago
"The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law is an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice." •
@brennancenter.org
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Brennan Center
2 months ago
It’s far too easy for private money to curry favor with — and even be funneled directly to — the president in order to shape policy. Congress must pass stricter ethics rules and step up enforcement.
bit.ly/4sTukxk
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How Weak Federal Ethics Laws Enable Presidential Profiteering
Lackluster laws and barriers to enforcement clear many paths for the wealthy to get money to the president.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/how-weak-federal-ethics-laws-enable-presidential-profiteering
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As we consider Bob Mueller's legacy, here's the cover profile I wrote about him in TIME on his 10th anniversary as FBI director.
ti.me/2L7TEhH
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Cover Story: Is the FBI Up to the Job 10 Years After 9/11? -- Printout -- TIME
Inside Bob Mueller's 10-year campaign to fix the FBI
https://ti.me/2L7TEhH
2 months ago
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Barton Gellman
3 months ago
The SAVE Act could block millions of Americans from voting. It is not common sense. If passed, it would be the first time in history Congress passed a vote suppression law.
#SOTU
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Tom “T.M.” Wolf
3 months ago
Litigators take 📝: the juiciest part of the tariffs opinion for future cases of many kinds is the three-vote Section I-A-II, where Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett say that the president can't invoke "foreign affairs" or "emergencies" to claim extra-statutory tariff powers.
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Brennan Center
4 months ago
Congress failed to pass the SAVE Act last year for good reason: it’s an anti-voter bill. But now lawmakers have revived it despite overwhelming public opposition.
bit.ly/4qS8wBr
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The Bad Voting Bill that Refuses to Die
The SAVE Act would stop millions of eligible Americans from voting.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/bad-voting-bill-refuses-die
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David Short ❌👑
4 months ago
Two years ago I decided to fight the “fraudulent election” conspiracies by signing up as a poll worker. We need as many people as possible to sign up to do this critical role in our elections. This will give you first hand experience to rebut the naysayers. SIGN UP!
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The Atlantic
5 months ago
At the end of Donald Trump’s first year back in office, roughly 300,000 fewer Americans worked for the government. Franklin Foer spoke with 50 federal employees who were either fired or forced out:
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The Purged
Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.
https://bit.ly/4jTWGnT
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Brennan Center
5 months ago
Trump’s expanded entry ban targets Muslims and Africans abroad and punishes businesses and U.S. citizens at home.
bit.ly/4b48pO3
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New Entry Bans, Same Faulty Reasoning
The expanded entry ban targets Muslims and Africans abroad and punishes businesses and U.S. citizens at home.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/new-entry-bans-same-faulty-reasoning
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Brennan Center
5 months ago
The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority applies originalism to interpret the Constitution. Our new guide shows lawyers how to defeat shoddy historical arguments in court.
bit.ly/44yksPF
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A New Playbook for Countering Originalism in Court
Our guide shows lawyers how to defeat shoddy historical arguments.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-playbook-countering-originalism-court
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Brennan Center
5 months ago
The president has no authority to change election rules. Wendy Weiser and other Brennan Center experts discuss how we challenged President Trump's power grabs on the latest episode of The Briefing with Michael Waldman:
bit.ly/48SQYPc
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Jim Alwine
5 months ago
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated that the 1918 flu pandemic was caused by a lab virus from vaccine research, a defective influenza vaccine. Let’s analyze what a lie this is. First, in 1918, 107 years ago, virology was in its infancy
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404 Media
5 months ago
Google is hosting a CBP app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants, while simultaneously removing apps that report the location of ICE officials because Google sees ICE as a vulnerable group. “Big tech has made their choice.”
www.404media.co/google-has-c...
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Google Has Chosen a Side in Trump's Mass Deportation Effort
Google is hosting a CBP app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants, while simultaneously removing apps that report the location of ICE officials because Google sees ICE as a vulnerable…
https://www.404media.co/google-has-chosen-a-side-in-trumps-mass-deportation-effort/
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Brennan Center
5 months ago
ICE has long used the latest spy tech to pursue immigrants — but now it’s also targeting anti-ICE protesters and anyone who allegedly funds them.
bit.ly/3Kq348R
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ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/ice-wants-go-after-dissenters-well-immigrants
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Ryan Goodman
6 months ago
It is international law 101 that a military blockade is not just a violation of the UN Charter, but a crime of aggression. Unless that blockade is in response to an 'armed attack.' None of President's Trump's list of complaints come close to an armed attack. 1/
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The Bulwark
6 months ago
Full show: Substack:
lnk.thebulwark.com/4rZK5CY
YouTube:
lnk.thebulwark.com/4rUKbfn
Apple:
lnk.thebulwark.com/3LLwajw
Spotify:
lnk.thebulwark.com/4a8qqu7
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Robert Reich
6 months ago
The world's richest 0.001% now control 3x as much wealth as the entire bottom half of humanity combined. 56,000 wealthy individuals have more than roughly 4 billion people. Read that back.
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Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds
Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90%
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-finds
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Larry Norden
6 months ago
Trump's executive order to block states from protecting their citizens from AI will almost certainly fail in court. Why issue it? It may still have a chilling effect if states cave. And that would make some of the largest political spenders very happy.
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
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Money in Politics Roundup — October 2025
Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/money-politics-roundup-october-2025
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Brennan Center
6 months ago
The Department of Justice filed lawsuits against four more states — CO, HI, MA, and NV— for not providing their statewide voter registration lists in response to the department’s request. The total number of states being sued over their voter files now stands at 18, which we are tracking here:
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Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information
The Trump administration is pressing state officials to provide sensitive information about voters.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/tracker-justice-department-requests-voter-information
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Greg Sargent
6 months ago
Remarkable how brutal the ruling against Trump on Abrego Garcia truly is: It details flagrant and malicious abuses of power all throughout. Trump and Stephen Miller were testing their ability to spread lawless state terror. But the court held the line. 1/ (new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2043...
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Fiasco for Trump as Judge Issues Harsh Rebuke in Abrego Garcia Case
Judge Paula Xinis’s ruling temporarily freed Kilmar Abrego Garcia from custody. It also savagely indicted Trump’s lawless handling of this whole affair from start to finish.
https://newrepublic.com/article/204355/trump-judge-rebuke-abrego-garcia-case
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