Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

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Trump's Argument for Blocking Your Ballot Is Absolutely Absurd Aug 31, 2026

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With just over 60 days until the midterms, Donald Trump is still trying to weaponize the U.S. Postal Service against mail-in voters. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the legal fight playing out in federal courts in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., including a temporary restraining order that's now being appealed. He also reads directly from the Department of Justice's own court filings, in which lawyers compare mail-in ballots to overweight packages, cremated remains and fake bombs to justify blocking them.

BREAKING: Trump's DOJ Moves to Restore USPS Rule That Could Cripple Your Vote Aug 28, 2026

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The Department of Justice just made a major move to restore a U.S. Postal Service rule that could cripple mail-in voting in the 2026 midterms. Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, walks through where this fast-moving litigation stands, how we got here and what's coming that you're not hearing about anywhere else.

ALERT: This is a Major Win For Democracy Aug 28, 2026

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In a major win for free and fair elections, a federal judge blocked the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing key parts of Donald Trump’s anti-mail voting order. In this episode, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down Judge Indira Talwani’s critical ruling and reveals how it will impact the midterm elections. Plus, Marc explains why Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results is at the heart of the battles we’re fighting today.

Trump Wants You to Think This Fight is Over. It's Not. Aug 26, 2026

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The Supreme Court just ruled that legal challenges to Donald Trump's anti-voting executive order were filed too soon, but the fight is just getting started. The U.S. Postal Service has since finalized a rule that could block your mail-in ballot unless your state hands over sensitive voter data to the federal government. In this episode, Democracy Docket's Marc Elias breaks down where the fight is headed next, from courts in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., to another likely showdown at the Supreme Court, and why Trump's own side built the legal doctrines that could end up sinking the rule. Plus, what's at stake for the 2026 midterms if it isn't stopped.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Backs Trump's Attack on Mail Voting Aug 24, 2026

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The Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration, allowing its executive order targeting mail-in voting to move forward ahead of the 2026 midterms. In this episode, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the conservative majority’s ruling and their claim that the potential harm was "speculative." Plus, he calls out the major contradiction at the center of the case: while the court ruled the suit was premature, the Postal Service went ahead and finalized the very restrictions state officials warned about.

WTF is USPS Hiding in its New Mail Ballot Rule? Aug 24, 2026

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Just over 70 days before the midterms, Donald Trump's Postal Service quietly issued a final rule on mail-in voting late Friday night. Buried inside it, USPS compares your mail ballot to cremated human remains and fake explosives. Yes, you read that right. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down how we got here and explains what happens next as the rule heads toward taking effect on August 26 and the fight continues at both the Supreme Court and in Massachusetts federal court.

WARNING: Something Disturbing is Coming to the Midterms Aug 20, 2026

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Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon just announced the Justice Department will deploy 1,000 election observers for the midterms. The DOJ wants you to think this is business as usual, but Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down why this deployment is anything but and how it's laying the groundwork for what comes after Election Day. Meanwhile, it's no surprise the announcement comes the same day the DOJ lost its 23rd straight court case over access to sensitive voter data. Plus, where are these 1,000 monitors actually coming from?

Trump May Have Finally Found an Attorney General With No Limits Aug 10, 2026

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With less than 90 days until the 2026 midterm elections, Trump may have finally found a lawyer with no limits — and Todd Blanche is only getting started.
In this episode of "Election Watch," Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general and why he compares Blanche to Trump's ruthless former lawyer, Roy Cohn. Plus some good news: the Department of Justice is now 0-21 in court battles over access to state voter files. He also covers the Save Act's failure in the Senate, the Supreme Court's pending ruling on Trump's mail-in ballot order and why Ross Douthat's farewell New York Times column got it backward.

Trump's DOJ is 0-20 Aug 05, 2026

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After a victory for Colorado voters, the DOJ is now 0-20 in the voter roll cases -- and we are winning. In this episode, Marc Elias breaks down the Trump administration's yearlong effort to build a national voter database, why federal judges (including eight appointed by Trump) have unanimously rejected the DOJ's demands, and why today's 90-day "quiet period" deadline may have shut the door on Trump's scheme just in time for the midterms.

Trump Is Letting Todd Blanche Crash and Burn Aug 01, 2026

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Todd Blanche went from well-respected Wall Street lawyer to Trump crony. And now, he’s about to lose his dream job as attorney general. Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, explains what makes Blanche so dangerous, how he is jeopardizing his Senate confirmation to protect Trump’s slush fund, and why we can’t let the legacy media shift the Overton window on Trump’s nominees.

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