Michael Li (李之樸)

Valentine’s ceiling at Moynihan Train Hall

Princess Grace’s childhood home, Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s 30th Street station under renovation

Congress failed to pass the SAVE Act last year for good reason: it’s an anti-voter bill. But now lawmakers have revived it despite overwhelming public opposition. Tell Congress to reject the SAVE Act: bit.ly/4tmVIor

An ode to American industrial prowess past:

The “Trenton Makes, The World Takes” signage on the Lower Trenton Bridge over the Delaware River.

The new, soon to be opened rail bridge over the Hackensack River, as seen from the 1910 version that it will replace.

1. In an unusual press briefing today in AZ, Sec. Kristi Noem made the extraordinary (but vaguely delivered) claim that as head of DHS, she has authorities over elections, including to make sure that “the right people are voting and electing the right leaders to lead this country.” That is false.

10 years ago today, I was in Albany at a hotel bar when rumors of this started floating across the internet.

NEW: Justice Sotomayor has requested that responses to Nicole Malliotakis’ emergency application to stay the state-court ruling ordering NY-11 to be redrawn be filed by 4 pm on February 19.

The Trump DOJ has weighed in the support Republicans in their request for a SCOTUS stay of the New York state court ruling striking down NY-11.

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

Lawmakers renewed their push to pass the SAVE Act, which would block millions of Americans from voting. It failed before — and it must fail again. Tell Congress to stop this attack on the freedom to vote: bit.ly/4tmVIor

The Trump DOJ has weighed in the support Republicans in their request for a SCOTUS stay of the New York state court ruling striking down NY-11.

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

🚨 The Supreme Court has announced it will have opinions Friday, 2/20, Tuesday, 2/24, and Wednesday, 2/25.

Here’s the Malliotakis emergency stay request at SCOTUS. (Via @DemocracyDocket.com)

www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/u...

The backdrop to all of this is that candidate petitioning begins in New York on February 24.

Although Republicans had asked the New York Court of Appeals (the state’s highest court) to issue a stay, yesterday, the Court of Appeals ruled that it did not yet have jurisdiction and that the case had to be heard and decided by the intermediate appellate court first.

After that and any reply come in, she’ll then revert the stay request to the entire court for a decision.

Under Supreme Court practice, the stay request will go in the first instance to Justice Sotomayor who oversees motions in cases originating in the Second Circuit.

She’ll then set a deadline for the state to respond.

It looks like Republicans are taking the case challenging New York’s congressional map on state-law vote dilution grounds to SCOTUS on the shadow docket.

Three covers this week for The Economist:

In Asia (left), a cover of Sanae Takaichi’s landslide election victory in Japan.

In Britain (center), a cover on Keir Starmer’s struggles.

And in the rest of the world, a cover on social media bans for children.

Opinion | Trump Can’t Cancel Elections. He Could Undermine Them.

Presidents can't cancel elections. But the administration can attempt to undermine the midterms, @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social warns in @nytopinion.nytimes.com. It's up to voters, election officials, state law enforcement and advocates to ensure our elections are free and fair.

(I am assuming they also will be filing an opposition to intervention by the National Redistricting Foundation.)

Finally, the Republican plaintiffs in the case have filed their opposition to intervention by the original Utah gerrymandering plaintiffs, saying that the case is "time sensitive" and that they need a ruling by 2/23.

drive.google.com/file/d/1SMrt...

Next, the Democratic-aligned National Redistricting Foundation also has moved to intervene in the case.

drive.google.com/file/d/1NGNh...

But the original Utah gerrymandering plaintiffs point out that argument is inconsistent with long established and count-sanctioned practice in redistricting cases dating back decades.

Republicans are arguing that the court's imposition of a new congressional map runs afoul of the federal constitution because under the so-called "independent state legislature" theory only legislatures can draw maps.

A flurry of filings overnight in the Utah case where Republicans are trying to get a federal court to void the new congressional map.

First up is the original gerrymandering plaintiffs' motion to dismiss the new federal case.

drive.google.com/file/d/1zJvQ...

The Supreme Court's April argument calendar is out, the final sitting of the term.

The GOP commissioners for their part contend that a redraw is stayed pending appeal, but the Democratic commissioners disagree citing precedent from earlier gerrymandering cases. They ask the court to order the commission to meet and redraw the map while appeals proceed.

In a brief filed with the trial court, the Democratic commissioners say the that the GOP commissioners have been refusing to meet, thus depriving the commission of a quorum.

iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/Documen...