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With a one-sentence decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today cleared the way for California’s Proposition 50 map to go into effect for the 2026 midterm elections. The decision leaves in place the ruling by a three-judge federal panel last month.

The following is a statement from Tianna Mays, legal director at Democracy Defenders Action, regarding President Trump’s recent calls to “nationalize” elections and congressional efforts to advance the SAVE Act and the MEGA Act. The first proposal would restrict voter access and the second would strip states of their constitutional authority over elections.

As the federal government remains in a partial shutdown, Democracy Defenders Action (DDA) today urged all members of Congress to suspend stock and securities trading for themselves and their families for the duration of any shutdown. The organization also released a report showing that nearly 60 Members of Congress were actively trading stocks and other securities totalling up to nearly $100 million during last year’s government shutdown.

In late December, Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group sued President Trump and others on behalf of Congresswoman Joyce Beatty to stop the unlawful renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They released the following statements in response to President Trump’s social media post announcing the Kennedy Center will close for renovations.

In a new brief filed today before the U.S. Supreme Court, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) argued that, despite the plaintiffs’ erroneous claims that the plan is a racial gerrymander designed to “favor Hispanic voters,” Proposition 50 is clearly a partisan gerrymander. The Supreme Court has consistently said partisan gerrymanders are not justiciable by the federal courts. Democracy Defenders Action intervened in the case on behalf of LULAC.

A three-judge-panel today cleared the way for Proposition 50, the California constitutional amendment that authorizes a new map redrawing California’s congressional districts, to go into effect for 2026 elections. The ruling followed a three-day hearing in December where expert and fact witnesses, including those put forward by League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and represented by Democracy Defenders Action, testified in defense of the redistricting legislation. The decision comes amid a wave of redistricting litigation nationwide and follows recent Supreme Court rulings that have allowed states broad latitude to redraw maps based on partisan considerations.

House Republican leadership has introduced the so-called Stop Insider Trading Act. Despite its name, the proposal is not a stock or insider trading ban at all, and it fails to meet even the most basic standards for meaningful reform. It allows members of Congress to keep their existing stock holdings, and even worse, it allows them to invest and trade in cryptocurrency, commodities, and other speculative investments like private funds, venture capital funds, and hedge funds—precisely the kinds of assets that can be used to hide conflicts of interest.

Following are remarks by Amb. Norman Eisen (ret), Democracy Defenders Action co-founder and board chair, regarding the five-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty today sued President Trump and others to stop the unlawful renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Congresswoman in her capacity as an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center by Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group.

This week, House Democrats introduced the Restore Trust in Government Act, which would prohibit members of Congress, the president, the vice president, and their immediate families from owning or trading individual stocks. The proposal comes amid growing bipartisan pressure and overwhelming public support for reforms aimed at curbing conflicts of interest and restoring trust in government. In response to the legislation, Virginia Canter, chief counsel and director of ethics and anti corruption at Democracy Defenders Action (DDA), issued the following statement.