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- Newsletter: April 10, 2025
Newsletter: April 10, 2025
Jesse Douma
April 10, 2025
Last weekend’s Hands Off protests were a powerful show of collective resistance. From coast to coast, over a thousand demonstrations signaled that Americans are paying attention, and not backing down. Our march here in Charlotte was expected to draw 500. Nearly 5,000 turned out. It was motivating. It was inspiring. And it was just the beginning.
This week’s newsletter tracks what we’re up against: sweeping attacks on elections, judicial independence, and agency oversight. But we’re also highlighting how resistance continues to rise. It’s happening in courtrooms, in state legislatures, and in the streets. Let’s use this momentum to keep the pressure on both parties to defend democratic norms.
Stay informed. Stay organized. Stay active.
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Anti-Trump protesters gather in Washington, other US cities
Source: Reuters
Summary: On April 5, 2025, approximately 1,200 demonstrations occurred across all 50 U.S. states, with thousands protesting President Trump’s policies on immigration, government cuts, and tariffs, marking significant nationwide dissent. 
Why it Matters: These widespread protests highlight substantial public opposition to policies perceived as threats to democratic institutions and civil liberties.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 3 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 3 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 4 | Final Score: 17/25
When protests are silenced and fear sets in, it’s easy to feel like the movement is over. But repression isn’t the end, it’s a signal to adapt. This guide shows how to keep organizing, protect your community, and stay emotionally strong when resistance gets hard. Momentum can survive in quiet, strategic ways. Read on to learn how.
Democratic-led states sue over Trump’s order overhauling elections
Source: Reuters
Summary: Nineteen Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship for voters and barring counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day, alleging constitutional overreach. 
Why it Matters: This lawsuit underscores tensions over federal versus state control of election laws, impacting voter access and democratic processes.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 4 Final Score: 19/25
Justice Department suggests US agencies are free to disregard judge’s order in law firm dispute
Summary: The Justice Department advised agencies to ignore a federal judge’s order blocking enforcement of Trump’s executive action targeting a law firm, raising concerns over executive defiance of judicial authority.
Why it Matters: Ignoring court orders undermines judicial authority and signals a dangerous shift toward unchecked executive power.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to oust board members fired by president while case goes on
Source: AP News
Summary: The Trump administration seeks an emergency Supreme Court order to remove reinstated independent agency board members, challenging a 1935 precedent limiting presidential power to dismiss such officials without cause. 
Why it Matters: This action could expand executive authority, undermining the independence of federal agencies and altering established checks and balances.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
Washington and Oregon sue over Trump elections order, saying mail voters could be disenfranchised
Source: AP News
Summary: Washington and Oregon filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and mandating mail ballots arrive by Election Day, arguing it could disenfranchise mail-in voters. 
Why it Matters: The order threatens mail-in voting accessibility, potentially disenfranchising voters and undermining state control over election procedures.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
State Supreme Courts have become an electoral battleground. But some states choose a different path
Source: AP News
Summary: State Supreme Court elections are increasingly politicized, exemplified by Wisconsin’s $100 million race. Some states, like Kansas, consider shifting from merit-based appointments to elections, raising concerns about judicial independence. 
Why it Matters: Politicizing judicial selections threatens the impartiality of courts, undermining public trust and the foundational checks and balances in democracy.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 3 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 3 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 15/25
Fired Justice Department pardon attorney accuses the agency of ‘ongoing corruption,’ abuse of power
Source: AP News
Summary: Liz Oyer, former DOJ pardon attorney, testified before Congress, alleging her firing resulted from refusing to restore actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights, highlighting DOJ’s prioritization of political loyalty over justice. 
Why it Matters: Allegations suggest DOJ leadership may be compromising justice by favoring political allies, undermining public trust in legal impartiality.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 17/25
Foreign journalists at US-backed media fear being sent to repressive homelands after Trump’s cuts
Source: AP News
Summary: President Trump’s executive order slashed funding to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, jeopardizing foreign journalists’ visas at outlets like Radio Free Asia, potentially forcing them back to oppressive regimes. 
Why it Matters: Defunding USAGM endangers journalists and undermines U.S. efforts to promote press freedom in authoritarian countries. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 17/25
Trump asks US Supreme Court to let him remove Democratic members from labor boards for now
Source: Reuters
Summary: The Trump administration seeks Supreme Court approval to remove Democratic members Cathy Harris and Gwynne Wilcox from federal labor boards, arguing their retention hampers executive authority and policy implementation. 
Why it Matters: This action challenges the independence of federal agencies, potentially undermining established checks and balances within the U.S. government. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 17/25
Former top lawyers at major companies decry Trump orders against law firms
Source: Reuters
Summary: Sixty-seven former general counsels from major U.S. corporations filed a legal brief criticizing President Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms, arguing these actions undermine constitutional protections and the rule of law. 
Why it Matters: Such executive orders may coerce businesses into political conformity, threatening legal independence and democratic checks and balances. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
Some lawyers split with their firms over response to Trump’s attacks
Source: Reuters 
Summary: Amid President Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms, over 330 partners organized to oppose these actions. Some attorneys resigned in protest over their firms’ compliance with the administration’s demands. 
Why it Matters: Highlights internal divisions within the legal community regarding responses to perceived governmental overreach, impacting legal independence and professional ethics. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 17/25
Trump issues order to block state climate change policies
Source: Reuters
Summary: On April 8, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to challenge state climate laws, aiming to prevent state-level regulations that reduce fossil fuel use and combat climate change. 
Why it Matters: This action undermines state autonomy, hinders environmental protection efforts, and centralizes power, impacting democratic checks and balances.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
US freezes funding for Cornell, Northwestern University in latest crackdown
Source: Reuters
Summary: The Trump administration froze over $1 billion for Cornell and $790 million for Northwestern amid civil rights investigations related to pro-Palestinian protests, DEI programs, and transgender policies. 
Why it Matters: This action threatens academic freedom and may suppress dissent by leveraging federal funding to enforce political compliance in educational institutions.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🔴 High
Severity: 4 | Scope: 4 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 18/25
Trump sued by Democrat he removed from US civil rights agency
Source: Reuters
Summary: Jocelyn Samuels, a former EEOC commissioner, filed a lawsuit challenging her January 27 firing by President Trump, asserting that her removal was unlawful and compromised the agency’s independence. 
Why it Matters: This case highlights concerns over executive overreach and the potential erosion of independence within federal civil rights agencies.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 4 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 17/25
Hundreds of protesters turn out in European cities against Trump
Source: Reuters
Summary: On April 5, 2025, hundreds protested in European cities, including Berlin, Paris, and London, opposing President Trump’s global tariffs and adviser Elon Musk’s policies. 
Why it Matters: International protests reflect global dissent against U.S. policies, indicating potential diplomatic strains and challenges to international cooperation.
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 3 | Scope: 3 – | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 3 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 4 | Final Score: 16/25
US Senate confirms Trump loyalist to lead Justice Department civil rights unit
Source: Reuters
Summary: On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, overseeing critical areas like hate crime prosecutions and voting rights litigation. 
Why it Matters: Dhillon’s confirmation may shift civil rights enforcement priorities, potentially impacting policies on diversity, equity, inclusion, and law enforcement oversight. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 3 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 3 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 3 | Final Score: 15/25
US Senate Democrat questions FBI on domestic terrorism staff reassignments
Source: Reuters
Summary: Senator Dick Durbin criticized the FBI’s reassignment of 16 agents from domestic terrorism investigations, expressing concern over the administration’s commitment to addressing threats from white supremacist and anti-government groups. 
Why it Matters: Reallocating resources from domestic terrorism probes may weaken efforts to combat violent extremism, potentially endangering public safety. 
Risk to Democracy Rating: 🟠 Moderate
Severity: 4 | Scope: 3 | Reversibility: 3 | Alignment with Authoritarian Patterns: 3 | Public Resistance & Institutional Response: 4 | Final Score: 17/25
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