Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

Republicans across the country are attempting to gerrymander their way to electoral victory, and Florida is the latest state to join this movement. Marc Elias is joined by Legal Content Editor Ashley Cleaves to break down all of the battlefronts in the redistricting war and predict who will come out on top when the dust settles. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://bit.ly/42wcKUC 00:00...

Donald Trump's nonstop lying about elections isn't accidental; it's a strategy. In this video, Marc Elias breaks down Trump's propaganda tactics, and how we can all stay vigilant in the face of this threat. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-friday 00:00 How Propaganda Threatens Free and Fair Elections 01:12 Trump Blurs Tr...

Democrats just pulled off a huge win in Virginia to combat Donald Trump’s gerrymandering power grab. But that’s not the story the Washington Post told. Marc Elias is joined by Ashley Cleaves to break down why this win in Virginia is so consequential; how election deniers have already responded; and the other battleground states where democracy is on the line. Support Democracy Docket's mission...

Brian Tyler Cohen joins Marc Elias to discuss why an eagerness to fight should be the Democratic Party’s North Star. In this interview, they break down Donald Trump's increasing desperation, the importance of a Democratic media-ecosystem, and Brian's new book, "The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World." Brian Tyler Cohen — The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Pos...

Republicans are waging an all-out war on voting rights in court – and we keep beating them. In this video, Marc Elias is joined by Democracy Docket's Legal Content Editor Ashley Cleaves to break down all of the recent wins for the Pro-Democracy movement. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-friday 00:00 Good News for Democracy 01:21 Ind...

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they couldn't have imagined that we would have a president with no shame or integrity. Today, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joins Marc Elias to break down the consequential voter roll lawsuits, how Democratic governors are holding the line against the White House, and what we can all do to join the opposition movement. Support Democracy Docket's m...

When Hungary's Viktor Orban lost his recent election, he accepted the result. When Donald Trump loses, he cries foul — and his base is trained to follow. In this video, Marc covers why Republicans are all incentivized to deny election results, what lessons we should learn from Orban's defeat, and how we can form a resilient opposition movement to defeat Trump in 2026 and beyond. Support De...

Sen. Chris Van Hollen joins Marc Elias to discuss Donald Trump's unauthorized war with Iran, the politicization of the Department of Justice, and Republican efforts to restrict voting access through the SAVE Act. Van Hollen breaks down how Congress is fighting back — from war powers resolutions to the 2026 elections — and explains why the pressure from voters is finally starting to matter. Sup...

Donald Trump has installed his former criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche as the new acting Attorney General. In this episode, Marc Elias breaks down who Todd Blanche is, why he's so dangerous, and what this means for the midterm elections. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-thursday 00:00 Criminal Defense vs. Prosecutors Explained...

Marc Elias is suing Donald Trump to stop his unconstitutional executive order creating a national citizen list. In this video, Marc breaks down this dangerous overreach of executive power, and reviews his history of fighting for free and fair elections. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-tuesday 00:00 Trump & Threats to Elections 02:1...

Senator Alex Padilla joins Marc Elias to discuss Trump's "flat out unconstitutional" executive order demanding that the Department of Homeland Security make a list of citizens. It gets worse: Only those on that list will receive mail-in ballots. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/youtube 00:00 Welcome Today’s Guest: Alex Padilla 00:37 Stat...

Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and her replacement could be someone even more hostile to voting rights. Marc Elias is joined by Democracy Docket Legal Content Editor Ashley Cleaves to analyze Bondi's legacy and discuss the implications of this move for the 2026 elections. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-frida...

Rep. Jamie Raskin joins Marc Elias to discuss Donald Trump violating the Constitution, the president’s efforts to seize control of elections, and the Department of Justice acting as the Department of Donald Trump’s Vendettas. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-thursday 00:00 Today's Guest: Jamie Raskin 01:09 Congressional Power vs Don...

Marc Elias breaks down the timeline of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, exposing a massive cover-up by the Department of Justice to protect President Donald Trump. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-tuesday 00:00 The Epstein Files 00:47 Who Was Jeffrey Epstein? 01:40 Trump, MAGA & The Promise to Release th...

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joins Marc Elias to expose the SAVE America Act — a Republican voter suppression bill that would hand disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of American citizens. This is not a policy debate. This is a blueprint for stealing elections. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-friday 00:00 Today’s Guest: Sheldon Whitehou...

Steve Bannon just admitted it: Trump's ICE airport deployments are a test run — and the target is YOUR vote. From Fulton County to Minneapolis, Marc Elias breaks down Trump's test runs ahead of the 2026 midterms, and explains what we can do to prepare. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-thursday 00:00 Steve Bannon Reveals Secret P...

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner joins Marc Elias to break down why the rule of law is hanging by a thread. They also discuss the Epstein files cover-up, DOJ ethics violations, and why we need a scorched-earth accountability effort. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-tuesday 00:00 Today's Guest: Glenn Kirschner 00:41 One Year...

Republicans are trying to make it harder for your mail-in ballot to count. Marc Elias breaks down Watson v. RNC, the Supreme Court case that could wipe out hundreds of thousands of votes in 2026, and reveals the bombshell hiding in the 2000 election that exposes Republican hypocrisy. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/anchor-youtube-friday #VotingRights...

George Conway — former Republican lawyer, Trump critic, and congressional candidate in NY-12 — sits down with Marc Elias to discuss the state of American democracy, Trump's authoritarian tactics, and what we can do to stop him. Conway argues that everything we warned about in 2024 is now coming to fruition: a president intent on holding onto power, unconstrained the rule of law, and willing to...

The SAVE America Act isn't about securing free and fair elections — it's actually the opposite. It’s about stealing the 2026 midterms. Marc Elias breaks down exactly how this voter suppression bill works, and why millions of Americans could lose their right to vote. #VotingRights #MarcElias #VoterSuppression Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/an...

The DOJ is sitting on half of the Epstein Files — and Congressman Robert Garcia says that's no accident. It's a cover-up, and Trump is leading it. Rep. Garcia joins Marc Elias to break down where the Epstein investigation stands: who's been subpoenaed, what the DOJ is hiding, and why this is already worse than Watergate. Support Democracy Docket's mission: https://newsletters.democ...

Republicans KNOW Trump will destroy democracy — and they don't care. Marc Elias sits down with Tim Miller of The Bulwark to find out why. Tim Miller went from running Jeb Bush' presidential campaign to becoming one of the most prominent voices defending democracy against Trump's authoritarian project. In this conversation, he pulls no punches on what he's witnessed from inside the...

Trump is threatening to bypass Congress entirely to impose voter ID before the 2026 midterms — and to make matters worse, the Save America Act just got a lot more extreme. Marc Elias breaks down Trump's late-night social media rants, why his panic over Democratic victories is driving this voter suppression push, and why Trump is living in a constitutional delusion. Support Democracy Docket's missi...

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper just won his Senate primary — and he may be Democrats' best shot at flipping the U.S. Senate. In this video, Gov. Cooper tells Marc Elias why he's running, what's at stake, and why North Carolina is the #1 red-to-blue Senate seat in the country. Cooper breaks down his record as governor — 640,000 new jobs, Medicaid expansion for 715,000 North Carolini...

One year ago, Donald Trump launched his war on law firms with unconstitutional executive orders targeting firms he didn't like. Four firms fought back and won. Nine others capitulated, pledging over $1 billion in free legal services to Trump-favored causes. And 187 of the top 200 law firms said nothing. Now, in an unprecedented move, Trump's Department of Justice dismissed its own appeal against t...