This Texas Dem is preparing to filibuster the GOP’s gerrymandered congressional map 

• Texas State Sen. Carol Alvarado (D) is preparing to filibuster the gerrymandered congressional map that could add five new GOP seats to Congress.
  
  
• “Republicans think they can walk all over us,” Alvarado posted on X Friday afternoon. “Today I'm going to kick back. I’ve submitted my intention to filibuster the new congressional maps. Going to be a long night.”
  
  
• Earlier this week, the Texas House and the Senate redistricting committee passed the GOP’s map, sending it to the Senate for a full vote before it heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

We’re watching the Texas Senate closely this weekend, covering every twist and turn. Your support makes this possible — upgrade today to keep this reporting going and fuel the pro-democracy journalism you can count on.

Newsom signs California redistricting bill to counter Trump’s Texas gerrymander

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a package of bills into law to place a new congressional map on a November special election ballot. The map could give Democrats five new seats, offsetting the five seats Republicans may gain from Texas’ redistricting.
  
  
• The package of bills was debated in both legislative chambers simultaneously and passed late Thursday, before Newsom swiftly signed them into law.
  
  
• “Let me be crystal clear: We don’t want this fight, and we didn’t choose this fight, but with our democracy on the line, we cannot and will not run away from this fight,” California Assemblyman Marc Berman (D) said of the legislation. 

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free from detention and returning to Maryland

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongly removed from the U.S. and imprisoned in El Salvador earlier this year, was released from custody in Tennessee and will return to Maryland while awaiting trial on immigrant smuggling charges.
  
  
• A federal judge last month ruled that Abrego Garcia must be returned to Maryland from Tennessee on an order of supervision and barred the Trump administration from immediately taking him into custody upon release.
  
  
• “He is presently en route to his family in Maryland, after being unlawfully arrested and deported, and then imprisoned, all because of the government’s vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the Administration’s continuing assault on the rule of law,” Abrego Garcia’s lawyer Sean Hecker reportedly said.

FBI raids home of Trump critic John Bolton 

• The FBI raided the home of John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor turned vocal critic, in an investigation over whether he shared classified information. The move marks a troubling escalation in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) retribution campaign against perceived enemies of the president.
  
  
• Speaking with reporters Friday morning, Trump claimed he knew nothing about the raid beforehand. “I could know about it. I could be the one starting it,” Trump said. “I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer,” he added, falsely claiming a title that belongs to the attorney general.

Trump’s takeover is renewing a push for D.C. statehood

• Trump’s effort to flood D.C. with National Guard troops has reignited the decades-long push for statehood in the district, as residents view the federal takeover as an assault on their already limited political autonomy.
  
  
• In a letter earlier this month, 77 local and national organizations urged members of Congress to respond to Trump’s attempted takeover by passing legislation making D.C. the 51st state.
  
  
• “The President’s actions make clear once again that Americans in D.C. are second class citizens in their own country,” the letter reads. “We must right this historic wrong by providing Washingtonians with full voting representation in both chambers of Congress.”

Oregon and Pennsylvania are the latest states to reject DOJ’s demand for voter data

• Oregon and Pennsylvania become the latest states to reject DOJ's demands for private voter data. Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt (R) called the request a “concerning attempt” to expand federal control over elections.
  
  
• “No federal law compels the production of state voter rolls,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read (D) wrote. “The Attorney General’s right to bring enforcement actions under the NVRA and HAVA does not create a corollary right to the personal data of Oregonians.”
  
  
• DOJ recently escalated its effort to pressure states on the issue, including by threatening legal action. It isn’t yet clear what DOJ plans to do with the data, but it appears intended to boost the Trump administration’s hunt for illegal voting in order to justify tightening voting rules.

Federal court orders Alabama to redraw state Senate map to comply with Voting Rights Act

• In a win for voters, a federal court ruled in favor Black Alabamians, finding that the state Senate map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting strength in Montgomery.
  
  
• Alabama must now draw a new map that complies with Section 2. The court will give the Alabama Legislature the first opportunity to enact a compliant plan.

ACLU sues to block deployment of West Virginia National Guard to D.C.

• The ACLU of West Virginia filed a lawsuit Thursday to halt deployment of the state’s National Guard to the streets of Washington, D.C. The lawsuit challenges the deployment as exceeding the governor's constitutional and statutory authority.
  
  
• "The Guard's services are indispensable to West Virginia, and sending these vital resources out of state to participate in a political stunt by the President is unprecedented, unconscionable, and unlawful, "ACLU-WV Legal Director Aubrey Sparks said in a statement. "Neither state law nor our Constitution permits this deployment."
  
  
• West Virginia is one of six red states that sent their National Guard members to D.C. this week to aid Trump’s takeover.

AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS

California Supreme Court shuts down the GOP’s attempt to derail the state’s redistricting plan

• Setting the stage for the Democrats’ vote to pass the redistricting bills, the state’s high court denied a Republican petition to block the plan from moving forward. The court ruled that the GOP had no basis to ask for relief under the California Constitution, empowering Democratic lawmakers to pass the plan. 

Federal court rules Trump ally Alina Habba was unlawfully serving as U.S. Attorney

• A federal judge found that Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal attorney, has been unlawfully serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey since her interim appointment expired last month. The ruling disqualifies her and her office from ongoing cases and delivers a sharp rebuke to Trump’s attempt to sidestep Senate confirmation rules.

Federal court orders shutdown of infamous Florida immigrant detention center

• A federal judge ordered the dismantling of Florida’s state-run immigrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, finding the state and the Trump administration violated environmental law by building it without required reviews. The ruling forces detainees to be moved out within 60 days, halts new construction and delivers a major setback to President Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive anti-immigrant agenda, while protecting both vulnerable communities and the Everglades ecosystem.

Newsmax set to pay $67 million to settle election denial suit

• Right-wing outlet Newsmax reached a $67 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over allegations that it falsely claimed the company rigged the 2020 election. The payout is the latest accountability win against election denial media, following Fox News’s $787 million settlement, and sends another strong message that spreading Trump’s conspiracy theories carries steep consequences.

Maine again rejects Trump DOJ’s sweeping voter data demand

• The Trump DOJ escalated its push for sensitive voter information, ordering Maine to hand over unredacted rolls and original voter registration applications within a week. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) flatly refused once more, telling Democracy Docket, “I will do everything in my power to continue to protect sensitive, personal voter data of Maine citizens.”

Federal court repeals Mississippi Supreme Court map for diluting Black votes

• A federal court ruled that Mississippi’s Supreme Court districts violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diminishing the voting strength of Black voters. The decision requires lawmakers to draw a new, fairer map that complies with the VRA and ensures equal representation for one of the state’s largest communities.

Federal court blocks parts of Florida’s anti-direct democracy law

• A federal judge granted preliminary relief in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s new restrictions on the ballot initiative process. The ruling blocks enforcement of residency requirements against petition gatherers and citizenship requirements against noncitizen members, preserving their ability to collect signatures and protecting grassroots participation in direct democracy.

Arizona keeps election safeguards in place during GOP challenge

• Republicans are suing to throw out Arizona’s 2023 Election Procedures Manual, which includes guidance on keeping voters on the rolls and rules against voter intimidation. The state Supreme Court declined to block it while the case continues, meaning the updated voter protections will remain in effect through 2025.