Michael Waldman
@mawaldman.bsky.social
12K followers 830 following 29 posts
President & CEO, @BrennanCenter. Author, The Supermajority, The Fight to Vote, etc. etc. Ex-speechwriter.
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mawaldman.bsky.social
Remember that an EO is not reality. Courts blocked his last effort to seize control of elections. But it’s an alarming escalation of the campaign to undermine the 2026 election. 3/3
mawaldman.bsky.social
He’s taking Vladimir Putin’s advice - Trump proudly cited Putin as backing his voting stance given Putin’s interest in “honest elections.” 2/3
mawaldman.bsky.social
Trump’s post saying he will sign an EO purporting to ban mail voting marks an appalling attack on free and fair elections. Flatly illegal and flagrantly unconstitutional. The Constitution gives states and Congress the power to run elections. Presidents have no lawful role. 1/3
Reposted by Michael Waldman
brennancenter.org
Americans deserve fair congressional district maps no matter what state they live in. Congress can make that a reality if it chooses to.
mawaldman.bsky.social
So as we watch with outrage let’s remember: all this makes the hard-nosed case, stronger than ever, for action to ensure real representation and a fair political process for all. 6/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
Congress can and must act. The Freedom to Vote Act banned mid-decade redistricting and barred partisan gerrymanders. It would stop what's happening today – cold. The John Lewis VRAA would restore protection against discriminatory maps. They came achingly close to enactment in 2022. 5/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
Now, the Supreme Court blew it - in Rucho and LULAC v. Perry, it walked away from policing gerrymandering & protecting voters. 4/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
It’s no surprise that Democrats in other states would respond as they have.

But a partisan arms race on its own cannot be the ultimate solution.

The answer must be effective national standards that apply to Red states and Blue states alike. 3/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
What Texas is doing is particularly egregious. Mid-decade (long after the census), explicitly to gain five Republican seats, at the expense of voters of color, on orders from the president. It’s a power grab, outrageous. 2/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
Gerrymandering is really bad for representative democracy. Voters should choose politicians, not the other way around. Gerrymanders mean less choice, less representation, less accountability for politicians – and more polarization. 1/6
mawaldman.bsky.social
An important new analysis: we’re now seeing a strategy unfold to undermine the 2026 election. It’s unprecedented and often illegal. And it will be a big and growing story for the next year and a half. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election
The executive branch is interfering in U.S. elections in unprecedented ways.
www.brennancenter.org
mawaldman.bsky.social
This is a summer of brute force and performative cruelty. Now the new budget includes an astonishing increase in the size of ICE - making it the largest federal law enforcement agency by far. There's a better way. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Not the Fix Our Immigration System Needs
The administration’s militarized immigration crackdown is eroding civil liberties — and it comes amid ICE’s resistance to lawful congressional oversight.
www.brennancenter.org
mawaldman.bsky.social
Bill Moyers lived a life committed to American democracy. At LBJ's side for civil rights (and Vietnam), he became a pioneering journalistic crusader on money and politics and voting. At @brennancenter.org we were honored to hear him over the years. In 2013 he spoke to our community:
The Great American Class War
In his speech at the Brennan Center's 2013 Legacy Awards Dinner, award-winning journalist Bill Moyers outlines the "unfinished work" that remains to be done in America's systems of democracy and justi...
www.brennancenter.org
mawaldman.bsky.social
Does a President have the power to impose sweeping tariffs. No! That's our argument in a friend of the court brief we filed this week in a case brought by the conservative New Civil Liberties Alliance. We're proud to do it. The Constitution is clear and the law is unambiguous.
Amicus Brief in Emily Ley Paper et al., v. Trump
On May 12, 2025, the Brennan Center for Justice filed an amicus brief in Emily Ley Paper et al., v. Trump, opposing the government's motion to transfer the case to the United States Court of Internati...
www.brennancenter.org
mawaldman.bsky.social
Fan fiction? Hardly. An important piece by my colleague Grady Short -- Canada's election is unfolding with a very different campaign finance system (no billionaires funded Super PACs, etc. etc. etc. etc.), robust public financing, and so on.
Reposted by Michael Waldman
brennancenter.org
With the sweeping worldwide tariffs — and their myriad exceptions and complications — the new imperial presidency meets the new billionaire politics.
A Second Gilded Age
Tariffs and favoritism are signs of a poisoned political era.
www.brennancenter.org
Reposted by Michael Waldman
audrelawdamercy.bsky.social
"They walked the full length of the train and questioned every single passenger about their citizenship status"
brunojnavarro.bsky.social
A co-worker of mine (who is a judge), traveled by train from Montana to North Dakota for work this week. The train made a stop in Havre, MT, where ICE agents—armed and dressed in full military-style tactical gear—boarded the train.
The New America: Federal (ICE) Agents Boarding Trains?
By Judith Roberts * As an attorney I’m deeply alarmed by an incident that occurred just this week and feel compelled to share it—to raise aw...
weknowwhatsup.blogspot.com
Reposted by Michael Waldman
brennancenter.org
The problem of tariffs goes beyond stock market decline. They open the door to lobbying, favoritism, and graft.
A Second Gilded Age
Tariffs and favoritism are signs of a poisoned political era.
www.brennancenter.org
Reposted by Michael Waldman
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
So many national emergencies to declare. So little time. 😔

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