Judges determined three of Trump’s temporary U.S. attorneys have been serving unlawfully after finding the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi bent laws to get around the Senate confirmation process.

Wednesday, November 12

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Trump's political prosecutions in trouble as challenges to his acting U.S. attorneys mount

  • For months now, President Donald Trump and his political appointees in the Department of Justice have jockeyed to keep loyalists at the helm of key U.S. attorney offices in various interim positions.

  • So far, however, judges determined that three of Trump’s temporary U.S. attorneys have been serving unlawfully, after finding that Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi bent vacancy laws to get around the Senate confirmation process.

  • Read the full story >>>

Democratic representative sworn in despite GOP obstruction

  • Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was sworn in today. Last month the state of Arizona filed a lawsuit accusing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) of violating the Constitution by refusing to swear in Grijalva. The state argued Johnson’s delay deprived hundreds of thousands of Arizonans of representation for purely partisan gain.

  • Johnson wished to delay seating Grijalva to prevent her from signing a discharge petition that would force a vote on the release of the Epstein files, the complaint noted.

  • Background on the lawsuit >>>

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

  • Fair and free elections are the backbone of our democracy — but the Trump administration is trying to make it harder for citizens to vote. 

  • Join the ACLU in the fight against voter suppression. Sign up today.

It was the Epstein shutdown all along

  • There are several well-accepted theories about what has motivated the Trump administration during its first 10 months in office: a desire to be an autocrat, revenge against political opponents, the implementation of Project 2025. But if you look back on the last year, it seems increasingly clear the White House has been obsessed with containing the damage and fallout from the Epstein Files.

  • Marc breaks it down >>>

Georgia election board forced into transparency after settlement

  • Georgia’s election board agreed to stop conducting its business through private email accounts after a settlement with a government watchdog group. The deal represents a major win for transparency as Republican board members ramp up efforts to restrict voting ahead of the 2026 election.

  • Read the full story >>>

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Fight Voter SuppressionFINAL (1) - Destini Bennett

Across the country, politicians are making it harder to vote — particularly for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. Voting is our constitutional right, and foundational to a functioning democracy. Join the ACLU in the fight to protect our right to vote.

Janai Nelson on why Black voters are still fighting for representation 

  • Janai Nelson, civil rights attorney and president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, joined Marc to expose how America’s democracy is still shaped by race and power. From the gutting of the Voting Rights Act to the fight over representation in states like Louisiana, Nelson explained how the Supreme Court and partisan lawmakers are rolling back hard-won rights — and what it will take to build a truly multiracial democracy.

  • Watch the video >>>

Coming up tomorrow

  • A district court will hear arguments on former FBI Director James Comey and NY Attorney General Letitia James’ consolidated motions to dismiss indictments against them based on the unlawful appointment of temporary U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsay Halligan.

  • Read the full Comey story >>>

  • Read the full James story >>>
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