A Message from Our Chair: Connie Brennan

Connie Brennan, Chair NCDC

A CALL TO ACTION FROM OUR CHAIR

Dear Nelson Democrats and Supporters,

We’re living through even more unconscionable and cruel actions by Donald (I refuse to call him “President”), but our U.S. senators are working non-stop to resist, the courts have been laudable, and more and more groups are rising to meet the moment. In particular, legal efforts are critical to protecting our democracy and our rights, so I’ll start out this “Take Action” advisory with a look at some of the organizations that are doing incredibly important work. I encourage you to support them.

— Connie Brennan, Chair

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

THE ACLU shines a bright light on safeguarding the rights of all Americans, including  participating in suing the Trump administration over an unprecedented invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (as of this writing, a judge has temporarily blocked the removal of immigrants under this act).

THE SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER advocates for environmental justice in the South, including Virginia, where, for instance, they’re in court to get the Commonwealth back in the widely praised Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (our Trump-supporting governor yanked us out).

LET’S HEAR IT FOR ATTORNEYS GENERAL. Every state has one, but, predictably, it’s the Democratic chief legal officers who are going to court to challenge administration policies (like the dismantling of the Department of Education). What’s notable here is that if we want Virginia to support such suits, one of the first steps is to flip our state attorney general seat from red to blue this November. Find out more about the Democratic candidates and how you can help.

TRACKING TOOLS

Just Security. A litigation tracker with lots of detail on the legal challenges to Trump administration actions.

The Associated Press. A concise, color-coded tracker for lawsuits that even shows which president appointed the judge in each case.

THE MORE YOU KNOW …

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN. If you’re not reading or listening to political historian Heather Cox Richardson, you’re missing out. Her column consistently provides a clear-eyed and detailed explanation of what’s happening to our country. Free or paid subscription on Substack or find her on Facebook.

VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT. Nobody does it better all in one place when it comes to providing data and information on Virginia politics and elections.

PLANNING TO PROTEST?

INDIVISIBLE organizes from the grass roots on up with chapters across the country, including Charlottesville, where there have already been large rallies against fascism and Musk/Tesla. Indivisible is also involved in what looks like the next big protest in America — Hands Off! National Day of Action on April 5.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. A guide for protesters from the ACLU.

SIGN LANGUAGE. Our amazing friends with the Bedford Democratic Committee provide a great tutorial on how to make a protest sign.