Michael A. Sandoval

Whatever lawlessness is occurring is not occurring by peaceful protestors. That the actions taken by some federal agents at this point and on this record clearly violate the Constitution. Individuals are allowed to protest. They are allowed to speak. That is guaranteed by the First Amendment. judge sara l. ellis us district court, northern district of illinois

The First Amendment contains the most cherished and fundamental rights of our democracy — it is vital that we defend it. In her ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis affirmed that the government cannot use violence as a means to silence dissent. ⬇️

Absolutely amazing news for the First Amendment, our plaintiffs, and our democracy.

The court also found enough evidence for a jury to conclude “that Defendants worked together, not just to make and promote the Movie, but to do so for the purpose of advancing a knowingly false narrative about criminal ballot mules that intentionally defamed Andrews”

"Defendants admit that they never had any evidence that Andrews was paid to deposit any ballots or that he went to any drop box more than once; that he ever went to any non-profit to pick up ballots; or that he was ever at a violent riot."

Judge Steven D. Grimberg was clear:

Heading: Court Ruled D’Souza and TTV Published False Statements Subhead: Creators of 2000 Mules Must Face Trial in Defamation and Klan Act Case

🚨BREAKING: A federal judge just ruled that the makers of 2000 Mules made false statements when they accused our client of voter fraud and that no reasonable jury could find those statements were truthful. Read the decision here
🔗 protdem.org/andrews-MSJ

Rule 1: Resist. Then adapt

Attn. democracy defenders: "Democracy Atlas" is a new series from ‪@protectdemocracy.org‬ pulling lessons and inspiration from others around the world who have navigated what we’re going through.

Read the first edition and subscribe to join the conversation: share.protectdemocracy.org/s/gJiwu6ej

Something is rotten in the FCC Paramount gave in to Trump. What they get in exchange might not be what they expect

The costs of capitulation are higher than they might initially seem, write Conor Gaffney and Janine Lopez on the just-approved Paramount-Skydance merger. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/something-...

The Nonprofit
Toolkit: Responding to Government Investigations Resources to help organizations face politicized threats while continuing 
to serve their communities.

NEW RESOURCE: The threat to civil society is real—and growing. Our Nonprofit Investigations Toolkit has information to help orgs prepare for politicized government investigations. Start here: protdem.org/NonprofitInv...

Thomas Jefferson would be horrified The Trump administration just robbed my alma mater of its independence

"I spent the last four years at, as they say, Mr. Jefferson’s university. I am one of those supposedly “oppressed” campus conservatives...And I have not been brainwashed, silenced, or intimidated. I’ve seen a place that is animated by debate, and dissent."
www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/thomas-jef...

Research funding should be merit-based, not political. Today’s ruling against NIH’s ideologically driven research cuts means more than just restored funding — it’s a restoration of life-saving research. Learn more in our deep-dive on the ruling: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/breaking-n...

Read more about how the Trump Administration's recent action threatens civilian control of the military and sets a troubling precedent: bit.ly/43VMYtg

This weekend’s troop deployment in LA, made against the wishes of California’s governor, wasn’t about public safety — it was about presidential power.

It wasn’t a move to keep the peace. It was a deliberate show of force — and a dangerous escalation.

A sobering and much-needed assessment on the state of higher education at this uncertain moment.

This is great, thank you so much for sharing—and for highlighting our work! Grateful for the work you’re already doing to advance some of the recommendations the report makes!

How does Gen Z really feel about democracy? - Protect Democracy A new survey offers three profiles of how young Americans perceive democracy, engage with civic life, and see their role in shaping the future.

We definitely don’t have all the answers, but what we found can serve as a starting point—check it out: protectdemocracy.org/work/how-doe...

Together, we’ve found that while yes, Gen Z is increasingly disillusioned (kinda hard not to be, right?) with the state of our democracy, that doesn’t mean they don’t believe in it—the question is and has always been: HOW do we get it to work for everyone? 2/3

Thankful to my colleagues @protectdemocracy.org and the great folks at CIRCLE @civicyouth.bsky.social for working on this much-needed research. This piece is possible because of their tenacity and willingness to ask big questions about Gen Z and our place in American democracy. 1/2

The heroes at @protectdemocracy.org had taken the OMB apportionment website and turned into a really easy to use public website.

Well, now they're suing.
bsky.app/profile/prot...

Jair Bolsonaro charged over alleged far-right coup plot to seize power in Brazil Former president has denied breaking the law after police report accused him of organising a conspiracy to stop Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva taking power Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been charged with allegedly helping to mastermind a…

Jair Bolsonaro charged over alleged far-right coup plot to seize power in Brazil

A recent executive order from President Trump claims to “restore free speech.” But his administration is already silencing journalists, restricting press access, and threatening critics—just as he did in his first term.

📖 Read more here: https://buff.ly/4jNqcuQ

Looks like there is only one person interested in suppressing the truth, and it’s not the Jan 6 committee

🥹

Now this is something I can get behind

They Like The Chaos. They Want The Chaos. This week gave us a preview of the coming Trump presidency. It felt like a horrible rerun of the first.

"The decision by a re-empowered Trump to appoint Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to be his terminally online enforcers adds a completely new vector of chaos. Also, Vice President-elect JD Vance is there, too. Somewhere."

the clear sign that they just don’t see these kids as real people is the endless concern over hypotheticals and the indifference to the reality that actual children are more likely to kill themselves because of these bans

It’s fair to wonder how much their incompetence might hinder their retribution fever dreams, and to hope that some of the residual guardrails might offer some resistance. But there can be no doubt about who these people are and what it is they want to do. The threat is evidently real.

The only proper response to the question, “Can it get worse?”, is yes.

Not good, y’all.

Mexican President’s Harsh Takedown of Trump Exposes an Ugly MAGA Scam Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to Trump’s threat of tariffs revealed truths that the president-elect doesn’t want Americans to know.

This is getting overlooked, but the whole premise of Trump's threat of tariffs is based on a lie. He's claiming Mexico must be bullied into stopping migrants. But Mexico is *already* doing this. That's a big reason crossings have dropped. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/1888...

If we planned Thanksgiving like we elect Congress, we’d only end up with turkey and stuffing. According to our poll with Citizen Data, Americans are hungry for reform and there are other ways to plan the menu. More on support for proportional representation ⬇️
protectdemocracy.org/work/how-ope...

This👇🏽