Our Strategy
Across the country, from local school boards to the halls of Congress, extreme, anti-democratic movements seek to wield political power and roll back our rights. At this critical moment where those who were responsible for January 6th have returned to power, we must use the law to defend our democracy and build for a better future.The courts are now the frontline in the battleground for democracy, not merely the last resort protectors of it.
In towns and cities across America, Democracy Forward provides legal representation and expert counsel to people and communities who make up the very fabric of American democracy — free of charge. We also leverage our collective power and the law to hold anti-democratic actors to account at the national level.
Our strategic pillars incorporate immediate defensive needs and a longer-term, proactive view in this fight for our democracy, our present, and our future. We leverage creativity, legal excellence, and our team’s unique mix of expertise and diverse experience in service of an unyielding determination to make our future better than our past.
Our Team
Our team consists of lawyers, policy experts, researchers, communications specialists, and operations professionals with deep experience and leadership in government, top-notch private law firms, and non-profit institutions. Many of our team members also have meaningful state and local experience. We leverage our team’s unique mix of skills and networks to meet this generational moment.
Clients and Partners
The broad and diverse range of clients and partners we have had the honor of representing and working alongside reflect the very fabric of our country and our democracy.
They include voters, workers, veterans, immigrants, educators, medical professionals, scientists, researchers, journalists, cities, counties, academics, parents, students, teachers, conservationists, community organizations, businesses, innovators, advocates, activists, public health experts, consumers, unions, and more.
See our full clients and partners list →
History
In the wake of the 2016 election, it was clear that the number and severity of threats to democracy, social progress, and the rule of law would be unprecedented. So a dedicated and spirited group of people left coveted jobs and beloved colleagues to build something new: Democracy Forward.
We created an innovative legal team that took the Trump administration to court more than 100 times, successfully challenging bad actors and their unlawful policies, shutting down corrupt committees created for special interests, and exposing unfair, unreasonable policies that stripped vulnerable communities of crucial protections. We and our clients secured victories that stopped abuses of power and improved the lives of millions. We filled critical gaps in the legal and regulatory infrastructure and developed a successful model for impact.
Our work challenging Trump-era policies prepared us for this moment and the long road ahead.
On January 6, 2021, violent rioters and insurrectionists led by Donald Trump executed a planned siege on our nation’s Capitol. Beyond that horrific day—we see threats to democracy and the wellbeing of Americans in statehouses, courtrooms, and communities across the country.
These days, every news cycle revolves around democracy in crisis at all levels. More than one hundred of the country’s leading political scientists have declared that “our entire democracy is at risk,” given the movement in many state legislatures. And, a highly-resourced and coordinated group of far-right legal organizations are continuing to engage in their multi-decade campaign to roll back the rights of the American people and undermine our basic democratic institutions.
Now that those figures who were responsible for January 6th and authored Project 2025 have returned to power at the national level, our team at Democracy Forward has once again stepped up to defend our democracy. We do not underestimate the gravity of the threat to our democracy, but neither should anyone underestimate our commitment, or that of the American people, to defending our democracy from anyone who wishes to harm it.Despite these challenges, we know the American people can and will keep fighting for democracy.
At Democracy Forward, we use all available tools within and outside the courtroom to secure the promise of democracy for all Americans. We have never strayed in our commitment to combating extremism at every level, and we are more prepared today than ever before to push back on anti-democratic attacks in all forms they take.
Together, we can ensure our best days are ahead.