TAKE ACTION

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.

HANDS OFF! On April 5, you can join a Hands Off! National Day of Action to make it clear to Trump and Musk that the country doesn’t belong to them. Indivisible.org

DOGE AND YOUR PRIVACY. Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to file formal demands under the Freedom of Information Act for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.

PHONE IN. If you want suggestions on what to say when you call your elected representatives, 5calls.org has updated scripts (ranging now from saving the Institute of Museum & Library Services to protecting our national forests from unregulated logging). The site also provides contact info.

RALLY AT THE SUPREME COURT. Planned Parenthood is organizing a bus trip on April 2 from Charlottesville to attend a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. The organization will be defending Medicaid users’ access to routine reproductive health care in a 2018 South Carolina case. Get details and RSVP here.   

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO ELECT DEMOCRATS

FLORIDA: Volunteer or donate to send more Democrats to Congress. If elected on April 1, both Gay Valimont in District 1 and Josh Weil in District 6 would replace Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, which could dramatically impact the balance of power.

WISCONSIN: In this pivotal election, help the Democratic Party of Wisconsin make calls to key voters about the importance of the state Supreme Court race in which a Democratic-endorsed candidate, Judge Susan Crawford, is running for a seat. You can also donate to her campaign.
 

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