In It to Win It
In It to Win It's JournalFL Republican lawmakers urged the Florida Supreme Court to strike down FL's voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymanderin
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/florida-republicans-urge-court-to-greenlight-gerrymander-and-nix-constitutions-gerrymandering-ban/Florida voters and voting advocates are challenging the new map which could net four more GOP seats in Congress arguing that it violates Floridas voter-approved Fair Districts Amendment (FDA).
But in their latest court filing, Republican state representatives argued the court should find the FDA unconstitutional and strike down the amendment, which was passed by voters in 2010, in its entirety.
NEW: State Republican lawmakers urged the Florida Supreme Court to strike down the state's voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering.
— Democracy Docket (@democracydocket.com) 2026-06-08T20:58:34.386757676Z
The move comes after a lower court refused to block a new GOP gerrymander that pro-voters say violates the ban.
UNITY OVER DIVISION - James Talarico - Cogdell Law Uncensored
James Talarico is a Texas state representative and one of the most closely watched young voices in American politics. First elected to the Texas House in 2018 at age 29, he's a former sixth-grade public school teacher who taught on the Westside of San Antonio. He holds a government degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master's in education policy from Harvard, and a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which he earned while serving in the legislature. In 2026 he won the Democratic Senate primary against Jasmine Crockett and now faces Ken Paxton in the general election.
Today's episode: Attorney Dan Cogdell with James Talarico.
Dan brings decades of trial experience, a sharp wit, an unfiltered humor and zero tolerance for BS. Whether you're here for legal insight, jaw-dropping stories, or straight-up entertainment, you're in the right place.
Trump Administration Killed Criminal Investigation of GOP Senator's Coal Companies
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-jim-justice-doj-southern-coal-investigation-west-virginiaThe investigation examined potential criminal violations of the Clean Water Act by the multistate mining operations largely run by Justices son, Jay, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter.
The criminal probe was a significant escalation in the yearslong effort to police serial pollution offenses by Virginia-based Southern Coal and dozens of affiliated mining operations controlled by the family. In the past decade, Southern Coal and other Justice corporations have racked up tens of thousands of alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and have been sued repeatedly by state and federal prosecutors over their failure to properly follow environmental laws at their mining sites.
The investigation shuttered by the Trump administration was a joint effort by prosecutors and investigators with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justices Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Western District of Virginia to probe whether the incessant violations of antipollution laws had risen to the level of criminal behavior, people familiar with the matter said.
People familiar with the investigation told ProPublica that prosecutors believed they had a strong case. They initially had the blessing of Robert Tracci, President Donald Trumps top official in the Western District of Virginia, to move forward.
Of course.
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@sifill.bsky.social) 2026-06-08T18:18:29.616Z
Correction: This story is by @mtredden.bsky.social and Avi Asher-Schapiro
— ProPublica (@propublica.org) 2026-06-08T18:29:35.762Z
Susan Rice absolutely schools Bill Maher on Iran.
https://x.com/BlueGeorgia/status/2063111383575585072Susan Rice absolutely schools Bill Maher on Iran.
— Blue Georgia (@bluegeorgia.bsky.social) 2026-06-06T04:09:36.488Z
Byron Donalds' Chances of Losing in Florida as Jerry Demings Exits Race
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/byron-donalds-chances-losing-florida-183226407.htmlDemings was one of only two Democrats who had been polling competitively against likely Republican nominee Byron Donalds in recent independent surveys.
The decision reshapes the Democratic field and leaves former Congressman David Jolly as the party's most prominent remaining contender, potentially shifting how undecided voters and strategists approach the race.
Demings revealed his diagnosis during his final State of the County address, saying he would suspend his campaign to focus on his health. "I received some bad news from my doctor, who confirmed that I have prostate cancer," he said, according to local station WKMG, adding that he intends to complete his term as Orange County mayor before leaving office in November. His exit removes a well‑known Central Florida figure from a race that had already shown signs of being more competitive than Florida's recent statewide elections.
Pro-voting groups asked the Florida Supreme Court to block the state's new GOP congressional gerrymander 😒
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/pro-voting-groups-ask-florida-supreme-court-to-block-gop-gerrymander/The emergency filing marks a dramatic escalation in the fight over Floridas 2026 congressional map, which voting rights advocates say was drawn to lock in Republican power before the midterms.
The petitioners* are asking the state Supreme Court to step in now before congressional qualifying begins Monday after lower courts refused to stop the map from being used this cycle.
This petition presents a simple question: whether Floridas political branches can openly defy the Florida Constitution and escape judicial review for an entire election cycle simply by attempting to run out the clock, the petitioners wrote. The answer from this Court should be a resounding no.
At issue is Floridas Fair Districts Amendment, the anti-gerrymandering reform voters approved in 2010 to stop politicians from drawing congressional districts to benefit themselves or their party.
The petitioners argue that the 2026 map was drawn in open defiance of that constitutional protection and that the Florida Supreme Court must act before the election calendar makes meaningful relief impossible.
Pro-voting groups asked the Florida Supreme Court to block the stateâs new GOP congressional gerrymander and let the 2026 elections move forward under the 2022 map, warning that Republican officials are trying to run out the clock before voters can get relief. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
— Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2026-06-05T02:04:38.188Z
Pro-voting groups asked the Florida Supreme Court to block the state's new GOP congressional gerrymander 😒
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/pro-voting-groups-ask-florida-supreme-court-to-block-gop-gerrymander/The emergency filing marks a dramatic escalation in the fight over Floridas 2026 congressional map, which voting rights advocates say was drawn to lock in Republican power before the midterms.
The petitioners* are asking the state Supreme Court to step in now before congressional qualifying begins Monday after lower courts refused to stop the map from being used this cycle.
This petition presents a simple question: whether Floridas political branches can openly defy the Florida Constitution and escape judicial review for an entire election cycle simply by attempting to run out the clock, the petitioners wrote. The answer from this Court should be a resounding no.
At issue is Floridas Fair Districts Amendment, the anti-gerrymandering reform voters approved in 2010 to stop politicians from drawing congressional districts to benefit themselves or their party.
The petitioners argue that the 2026 map was drawn in open defiance of that constitutional protection and that the Florida Supreme Court must act before the election calendar makes meaningful relief impossible.
Pro-voting groups asked the Florida Supreme Court to block the stateâs new GOP congressional gerrymander and let the 2026 elections move forward under the 2022 map, warning that Republican officials are trying to run out the clock before voters can get relief. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
— Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2026-06-05T02:04:38.188Z
The Supreme Court Has Made Intentional Discrimination Impossible to Prove - Jamelle Bouie
Louisiana v. Callais didn't just gut the Voting Rights Act it effectively nullified the 14th and 15th Amendments themselves. Alito says the 15th Amendment only covers intentional discrimination. Then, in a separate unsigned Alabama order, the court made intentional discrimination nearly impossible to prove. The amendments written to protect Black voters from discrimination now apparently can't protect Black voters from discrimination.
The Supreme Court's new decision tilting the midterms toward Republicans, explained - Ian Millhiser @ Vox
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Vox
In fairness, the GOP justices most recent decision in Allen v. Milligan fits a broader pattern in this Supreme Courts gerrymandering cases that can be explained without accusing those Republican justices of deciding election cases solely on the basis of partisanship. The Court has spent the past seven years dismantling all federal safeguards against gerrymandering.
Allen fits this pattern. On its face, the Republican justices brief opinion in the case is just the next iterative step toward a legal regime where states can draw maps however they want, regardless of whether those maps are drawn to favor one political party, or whether they are drawn to lock nonwhite voters out of power.
But the Republican justices new decision stands out because, while the Allen opinion is consistent with the Courts broader trend toward redistricting anarchy, its actual legal arguments are inconsistent with things the same justices said as recently as one month ago. The decision is also inconsistent with previous orders that the Courts Republican majority handed down in the Allen case itself.
If you want the full rundown of all of these inconsistencies, go read Justice Sonia Sotomayors dissent in this most recent decision. There are so many of them that it is hard to escape the conclusion that the Courts Republicans arent being honest about their true motivations. The simplest explanation for Tuesday nights decision is that the Courts Republican majority is bending the rules because they want the Republican Party to hold a majority in the House.
"The [Supreme] Courtâs new gerrymandering decision is tough to explain, unless you think the justices are GOP partisans." www.vox.com/politics/490...
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser.bsky.social) 2026-06-03T18:19:38.064Z
SCOTUS Makes SHOCKING Decision on RACIST Voting Maps (with Rick Hasen and Deuel Ross) - Strict Scrutiny
Leah speaks with Deuel Ross, Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Rick Hasen of UCLA Law about the Supreme Courts deplorable decision to allow Alabama to use a set of racially discriminatory maps in Novembers elections.
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