News

Trump, A Jury Of His Peers, And The Roberts Court

In an op-ed published Monday on Medium, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer discusses last week’s conviction in New York of former President Donald Trump on all 34 felony counts he faced, and how the Supreme Court could “take a lesson” from the New York jury, judge, and D.A.’s office. The Supreme Court’s current slow-walking of its […]

The Roberts Court And The Systematic Dismantling Of Our Political System

The Supreme Court, controlled by a Republican-appointed majority, has played a seminal role in gravely damaging our political system and our democracy. The Court majority has created a corrupt campaign finance system, undermined the nation’s ability to stop voter discrimination and suppression, and all but eliminated the ability to stop extreme partisan and racial gerrymandering. […]

SCOTUS’s Grave Disservice To The American People & Rule Of Law

For five months, the Supreme Court has been thwarting the trial in United States v. Trump, likely the most important criminal trial in American history and certainly the most important of the four criminal cases brought against former President Donald Trump. The case involves whether or not Trump is held accountable for his unprecedented attempt to overturn […]

The Supreme Court Fails Country In Its Inexplicable Failure To Issue Timely Opinion On Trump Immunity

 Statement Of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer “There is no excuse for taking so long on a case that has such importance to the country.” On March 4, 2024, 25 days after hearing oral argument, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Trump v. Anderson. In that case, the Court ruled favorably for former President […]

The Political $ Tsunami

In my more than 50 years of working to curb the influence of big money on politics and policy, I have never heard of a case where a presidential candidate asked a group of donors to raise one billion dollars for his campaign, much less to do so in exchange for favorable government policies. Yet that reportedly […]

D21 President Fred Wertheimer On Bipartisan Efforts In The Senate To Address The Problems Posed By AI

Democracy 21 applauds the bipartisan effort underway in the Senate to develop public policies to address the dangerous problems posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This important effort is being led by Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), joined by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Todd Young (R-IN). Also providing important bipartisan leadership are […]

Jennifer Rubin In The Washington Post: Judge Cannon Plays “Catch And Kill” With Trump Classified Docs Case

Stacking the deck for Trump means endangering national security. Judge Aileen Cannon seems determined to kill the criminal Mar-a-Lago classified documents case facing former President Donald Trump, Jennifer Rubin writes in a column in The Washington Post.“Her latest delay,” Rubin writes, “follows a series of widely criticized moves revealing her inexperience. Among the most inexplicable: Demanding a debate on […]

Delay Is Working For Trump In 3 Of His 4 Criminal Cases

It’s been 14 days since the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Trump v. United States, the criminal case brought against former President Donald Trump who is charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. This is arguably the most important criminal case in American history. The case deals with the alleged first attempt at […]

E.J. Dionne Jr. In The Washington Post: “A Crisis Moment” – SCOTUS’s Republican Bias Hangs Over Trump Immunity Case

As members of the Supreme Court’s “6-3 conservative majority ponder how and when they will rule on Donald Trump’s absolute immunity claim, they should understand how much they have already done to paint themselves as instruments of the Republican Party and the political right. They have created a crisis moment,” columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. writes […]

“The Supreme Court Four”

A clear-eyed look at the performance of four conservative Justices during the Supreme Court’s oral argument in Trump v. United States last week shows a remarkable lack of interest in former President Trump’s alleged efforts to steal the 2020 presidential election, which is what this case is about. The four Justices – Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil […]