Utah GOPers unveil audacious scheme to create new gerrymander

Utah Republicans saw their gerrymander blocked by a court. Now, they’ve unveiled a strikingly creative plan to give themselves a healthy majority in every congressional district for the foreseeable future.
The GOP’s new bill seeks to rig the map-drawing process by using statewide election results — which Republicans have generally won comfortably — as the “partisan index” for each one of the state’s congressional districts.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

President Trump has threatened to send federal agents and National Guard troops into cities across the country, including Memphis, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
Congress must rein in this abuse of power. Tell Congress: No more troops on our streets.

SCOTUS allows Trump’s dismissal of last Democratic FTC commissioner

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court permitted President Donald Trump to dismiss the last Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, signaling a potential overturn of a 90-year-old ruling protecting independent agencies from executive control.

Seeking indictment of political foe, Trump installs loyalist as top prosecutor

Lindsay Halligan, a lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, was appointed by Trump today as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Her appointment represents a deeply dangerous step — it comes after Erik Seibert was forced out of the post last week, amid pressure from Trump to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on unproven mortgage fraud allegations.

Speaking of James…

Trump Saturday ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to indict James and chided Bondi for not going after his other perceived political enemies quickly enough.

Ohio voters tell lawmakers they want fair maps as redistricting kicks off

Ohio’s redistricting process began today as lawmakers held their first public hearing. But with no map yet released by the majority Republican Party, members of the public were able to comment only on a proposal submitted by Democrats.
A parade of ordinary Ohioans testified at Monday’s hearing that Ohio’s existing 15-member congressional delegation — made up of 10 Republicans and five Democrats — doesn’t represent the partisan split of statewide voters.

Arizona's GOP-backed voter suppression laws will stay blocked

In a win for voters, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals left in place an en banc panel’s ruling that blocked two Arizona voter suppression laws. The GOP-backed measures would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote, and would allow election officials to cancel voter registrations if they suspected someone of being a noncitizen.
The appeals court decision now gives Republicans the opportunity to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue, a move Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson (R) had previously promised to pursue.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

President Trump’s deployment of federal troops to U.S. cities is about seizing power and sowing fear. He is using taxpayer dollars to intimidate our communities instead of investing in solutions that actually make our neighborhoods safer and our lives better. Our representatives need to hear from their constituents that this is not what we want. Tell Congress: No more troops on our streets.

Lawsuit fights DOJ demand for Nebraska voter data

Common Cause and a Nebraska voter sued to stop the secretary of state from handing over sensitive voter data to the DOJ, arguing it would violate state privacy laws and put Nebraskans’ personal information at risk.
DOJ recently asked Nebraska for its statewide voter list — part of a politically motivated push to gather state voter lists in an effort to advance baseless claims of illegal voting.

A win for Georgia voters

The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the DeKalb County GOP's lawsuit challenging the state’s use of Dominion Voting Systems, ruling that the GOP lacked standing to sue.
The GOP had argued that Georgia’s voting systems were unlawful because their encryption keys were not adequately protected and thus failed to comply with federal certification standards and state law.

The latest in an Alabama county’s redistricting challenge

Alabama’s Jefferson County Commission asked the 11th Circuit to review the pro-voter decision that struck down their map. The county requested that the lower court put its ruling on hold while the appeal is ongoing.

Plaintiffs want Cleta Mitchell to testify on law to suppress student voting

North Carolina voting rights groups asked a federal court to subpoena election-denying lawyer Cleta Mitchell in their challenge to a voter suppression law, arguing it was aimed at disenfranchising young voters. The groups believe Mitchell’s testimony could help show the law’s discriminatory intent.

How and why the GOP treats innocent voting mistakes as fraud

American Samoan Tupe Smith faces five years in prison for mistakenly registering to vote as a U.S. citizen, based on advice given to her by local election officials in Alaska. The GOP is exploiting Smith's case, and others like it, to spread fear about noncitizen voting. More here.