Our Impact

A winning track record

We know how to push back against authoritarians. Our litigation, advocacy, tech solutions, coalition-building, and communications have led experts to call us an “absolutely essential institution.”

At A Glance

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Protecting protesters and the press from unconstitutional federal force in Illinois

We filed a lawsuit and won an injunction in Chicago granting “complete relief” to our clients and severely limiting federal agents from using force to suppress peaceful First Amendment activity.

Federal judge restores thousands of Virginians’ voting rights in historic ruling

In our lawsuit challenging Virginia’s racially-motivated felony disenfranchisement law, a federal court paved the way for hundreds of thousands of Virginians to have their voting rights restored.

Federal agents can’t be sued, but one law could change that 

We are working with legislators in a number of states on legislation that would allow people to sue any official — federal, state, or local — who violates their constitutional rights.

Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations

We have created an extensive resource bank for nonprofits that come under threat from government officials.

Litigating

Suing to stop abuses

After the losing candidate in a North Carolina election tried to subvert the results, we filed a lawsuit that helped prompt a federal judge to require the certification of the lawful outcome. 

When the Office of Management and Budget stopped following a law that requires them to publicly share how the White House is using federal taxpayer dollars, we sued and forced them to restore the data. 

A federal jury awarded our clients, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, $148,169,000 in damages in a lawsuit we brought on their behalf against Rudy Giuliani after he falsely accused them of election fraud.

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Shaping Policy

Shaping public policy

In Arizona, we helped craft and coordinate bipartisan support for laws that enhance protections for election officials and provide clear and timely procedures for resolving election disputes.

In Minnesota, we provided testimony and technical assistance on provisions enacted to enhance protections for election workers, and wrote the blueprint for a bill that prevents voter intimidation.

In Michigan, we organized business leaders to support a constitutional amendment that has led to a prohibition on firearms at polling places, and helped enact a bill to fortify state elections.

In Wisconsin, we were the leading non-governmental actor behind legislation which requires campaign advertisements using AI-generated audio or video to disclose the content as AI-generated.

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Creating New Tools

Using tech expertise to create new tools

We built VoteShield, an election monitoring software that supports election administrators of all parties by using data analysis to protect 167 million public voter records across 26 states. 

We created OpenOMB, a website that makes it easier for journalists, members of Congress, NGOs, and the public to assess whether the White House is following or flouting spending laws.

We launched the AI for Democracy Action Lab to incubate AI-enabled civic tools and develop policy and governance solutions to check AI-enhanced threats.

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Assembling Coalitions

Assembling broad coalitions

We supported a bipartisan coalition of former FCC chairs and commissioners in filing a petition calling on the FCC to rescind a rule that has increasingly been weaponized to chill press freedom.

The National Task Force on Election Crises that we convened in 2019 has served as a cross-ideological resource for hundreds of media outlets and has been credited for protecting a free, fair process.

We co-created the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections to forge partnerships between election officials and law enforcement. CSSE has hosted 150 trainings and tabletop exercises in 35 states.

We represented a group of former service secretaries and retired four-star admirals and generals in filing amicus briefs to repeatedly condemn the deployment of the National Guard to American cities.

Educating & Engaging

Educating and engaging

We distributed this primer to orient civil society organizations to the risks posed by politicized government investigations and to help them identify concrete actions they can take to prepare.

We collaborated with Democracy Fund to publish a symposium issue of Democracy Journal, assembling over a dozen leading scholars to explore the prospect of proportional representation in America. 

Our media team has generated 25,000+ stories to help the public understand democratic threats, including a guide that led The New York Times to write: “the democracy beat is now everyone’s beat.”

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What People Are Saying

Disrupting the cycle of authoritarianism starts here

Through litigation, advocacy, and technology solutions, our team is challenging the Trump administration’s abuses of power and working to build a more resilient democracy.

Our Strategy