Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

Marc Elias sits down with Brian Tyler Cohen to discuss his new book, "The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World," which makes the case that Democrats need to fight harder and prioritize outcomes over institutional deference. They break down the Supreme Court's latest term and the case for court reform, but also dig into the bigger argument: that clinging to norms like t...

The Supreme Court's term just ended, and the results were mixed for voting rights. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the wins — including a 5-4 ruling protecting mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day — and the losses, including Louisiana v. Callais, which gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and the Slaughter case, which lets Trump fire independent agency officials at...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joins Marc Elias on Defending Democracy for a wide-ranging conversation on Trump's Justice Department and blatant corruption, the Supreme Court's assault on voting rights and the decades-long right-wing machine that made it all possible. Clinton, who has been on the front lines of these fights since the 1990s, pulls no punches on the institutions t...

The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship 6-3, rejecting Trump's executive order — but three justices sided with Trump, and Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence signals the fight may not be over. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias also breaks down the other cases that closed out the term: a 5-4 win in the mail-in ballot case, where the RNC tried to stop states from counting ballots postm...

Democracy Docket founder and voting rights attorney Marc Elias spent years litigating Watson v. Republican National Committee from trial court all the way to the Supreme Court — despite plenty of people telling him he couldn't win. In this video, he breaks down the court's 5-4 ruling rejecting the RNC's effort to throw out mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterwa...

A federal judge in Massachusetts just blocked Trump's executive order that would have let him use the Post Office to control who can vote by mail. This is a massive win for democracy — and it's not the only one. In this video, Marc Elias breaks down three major court victories against Trump's effort to restrict voting, collect your sensitive voter data and undermine mail-in ballots bef...

Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias joins Nicolle Wallace's Deadline: White House to break down Trump's scheme to control who gets to vote in the 2026 midterms. Trump's DOJ has sued states across the country to seize voter files — and lost every single case so far. But winning in court may only be the beginning. Trump is following the same grievance playbook he used in 2020, and the ne...

The DOJ has sued 31 states to seize your most sensitive voter data. They've lost every single case so far: nine courts, zero wins. In this episode, Marc Elias breaks down why Trump's voter data obsession isn't just a PR stunt — it's about building a national voter list the White House controls and using it to decide who gets to vote in 2026.

Former U.S. attorney and University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade spent decades prosecuting organized crime, corrupt officials and con men. In her new book, "The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government," she makes the case that what's happening in Washington right now looks very familiar. In this episode of Defending Democracy, Marc Elias sits do...

Days after the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision, Tennessee became the first state in the country to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district. Memphis was cracked into thirds in just 72 hours, with no hearings, no community input and no requirement to notify voters. State Rep. Justin Pearson breaks down how it happened, what was lost and why he's running for Congress a...

Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the three fronts of Donald Trump's war on voting: restricting voter registration through proof-of-citizenship laws and a national voter database, controlling who gets to use mail-in voting by weaponizing the U.S. Postal Service and laying the groundwork for another "stop the count" campaign.

Trump and his administration are quietly building a national list of approved voters — and if your name isn't on it, you may not be able to vote by mail in 2026. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the scheme, explains why Trump's DOJ is losing in the courts, and lists what you can do right now to protect your vote.

As California carefully counts its votes the same way it always has, Trump and his allies are calling it rigged, weaponizing the DOJ and laying the groundwork to reject results they don't like in 2026. In this video, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias pulls back the curtain on Trump's California election strategy and what it means.

The Supreme Court didn't issue any opinions on major democracy cases this week — but the decisions that will shape our country's future are coming. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the three biggest cases on the docket: RNC v. Watson, which could ban states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day; NRSC v. FEC, a campaign finance case Marc personally argu...

Marc Elias and Harry Litman reunite to break down the biggest rule-of-law stories of the moment: DOJ corruption, what the Supreme Court is likely to hand down this month and why legacy media is in an irreversible death spiral. Plus: what happened to Todd Blanche?

Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias sits down with Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, to break down the legal fight against Trump's $1.788 billion slush fund — and why the Department of Justice made a huge legal mistake. They also discuss Democracy Forward's efforts to expose DOGE's voter data security breaches, and how their work is an important reminder that due process is avai...

After the Callais decision, many Republican states rushed to push through gerrymandered maps. While some of these redistricting efforts resulted in wins for the GOP, two states resisted—and the fight is still on. In this video, Marc Elias breaks down the most recent developments in the gerrymandering war and what that means for representation across the South.

The Purcell principle is a legal concept in U.S. election law that dictates federal courts should not alter state voting rules, district maps, or election procedures too close to an election. That is, unless you’re a Republican state. Marc Elias breaks down the contradictory nature of the Supreme Court when it comes to using Purcell, and what this means for the redistricting fight ahead of the 202...

Cleta Mitchell’s anti-voting group recently released its midterm playbook, urging lawmakers and election officials to severely restrict mail-in voting, eliminate same-day voter registration, and impose rigorous ID requirements. This is Project 2026, and Republicans are coming directly for your vote. In this video, Marc Elias breaks down the key propositions that will make it harder for you to cast...

Supreme Court rulings don't just shape the law, they can also change what becomes acceptable in politics. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias explains how Republicans are already using the recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais to target Black and Latino representation and minority voting rights far beyond Louisiana. The most dangerous part of the ruling isn't just the legal outcome, it&#...

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins Marc Elias to break down Donald Trump's mid-decade gerrymandering war, the Supreme Court's Callais decision, and the New York Democracy Project — his home state's plan to fight against GOP gerrymandering.

The Supreme Court just gutted the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, delivering what Marc Elias calls the worst voting rights ruling in modern memory. The fight isn't over — but no new law can undo what the court just did. So what comes next, and how do we actually push back? In this Democracy Docket panel, Marc Elias is joined by Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the L...

In the fallout of the Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, Republican states across the country are rushing to redraw their congressional maps. Governor Jeff Landry has even called a state of emergency to suspend Louisiana's ongoing primary elections. Marc Elias breaks down what this means for voters, what Republicans will try next, and why we need to stay hopeful in the face of t...

Michael Popok (LegalAF) joins Marc Elias to break down the recent indictment of James Comey, the Department of Justice losing credibility with federal judges, and the latest updates in the Epstein Files saga. Subscribe to our free newsletters or upgrade to support our work: https://bit.ly/3OK7w4A00:00 Today's Guest: Michael Popok01:47 DOJ Has Lost the Court's Confidence06:43 Trump Gets Awa...

BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court just kneecapped the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a landmark civil rights law that restricted racial gerrymandering and racial discrimination in voting. Marc Elias is joined by Legal Content Editor Ashley Cleaves to break down the implications of this ruling and the impact it will have on voter representation. Subscribe to our free newsletters or upgrade to support our...