Washington, D.C. – One year into the second administration of Donald Trump, the courts have served as a critical guardrail against the harmful excesses of the Trump-Vance administration according to a new analysis released by leading pro-democracy legal organization Democracy Forward today.
The Trump-Vance administration has faced more than 600 lawsuits from people and communities across the nation and has lost in court more than 70% of the time. The administration has faced losses in front of courts with judges appointed by Republican presidents, Democratic presidents, and President Trump himself, with less than 5% of these cases going to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Over the past year, the nation has been reminded of the resilience and determination of the American people. As powerful institutions have stayed silent or, worse, collaborated in what is an autocratic power grab unfolding in our nation, the people have stepped forward, including in the courts where the people have filed–and won–hundreds of legal cases. At Democracy Forward, we are proud to be shoulder to shoulder with people and communities across the country, as well as with the nation’s legal community, in defending people and the rule of law against what are existential threats to the wellbeing of people and our nation’s present and future,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “While the devastation and pain that the Trump-Vance administration continues to cause is immoral and unjustifiable, we find hope in the people’s determination to resist this autocratic powergrab.”
Critical pro-democracy court victories that have been achieved by public interest organizations, civil rights and civil liberties advocates, state attorneys general, private practice lawyers, and cities and counties over the past year – and that remain in place – include:
- Blocking the administration’s nationwide freeze on federal funding and essential services;
- Blocking the administration’s deployment of the National Guard in states and cities across the nation;
- Blocking the administration’s retaliation against law firms, civic institutions, associations, and non-profit organizations;
- Blocking the administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deprive people of due process;
- Blocking the administration’s attempt to defund educational institutions that do not align with the White House’s views;
- Blocking a number of the administration’s anti-Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility initiatives;
- Blocking the administration’s efforts to reverse the Constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship;
- Blocking key provisions of the administration’s so-called “election integrity” Executive Order;
- Blocking the administration’s efforts to deprive 42 million Americans of supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP);
- Blocking the administration’s attempts to deprive 2.2 million people of health care, raise costs for working families, and undermine the Affordable Care Act’s core protections; and
- Blocking attempts to undermine the free press –whether through court orders that blocked attempts to decimate the Voice of America or blocking the administration’s attempts to deprive press of access to public spaces.
Many of these victories have been achieved through a broad coalition of public interest organizations and pro-democracy state attorneys general. Democracy 2025, the strategic legal network of 675+ organizations housed at Democracy Forward, has been credited with coordinating the largest and most effective legal strategy against unlawful administrative action in modern history. Democracy 2025 is the strategic hub to protect people and their rights against the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to unlawfully strip away freedoms and prosperity. The effort has been credited with filling the gap that was left when a number of large elite law firms pulled back from their pro-bono work and/or capitulated to the White House’s demands.
Democracy Forward in the past year alone has taken more than 400 legal actions to stop executive branch excesses, including through filing more than 150 lawsuits, initiating more than 250 public records investigations, and filing numerous supportive friend-of-the court briefs. Democracy Forward has also submitted more than 1,700 Freedom of Information Act requests and other demands since January 2025.
In addition to Democracy 2025, Democracy Forward has launched a number of additional collaborative projects to build further support for the pro-democracy movement – both inside and outside of the courts. Those include:
- Civil Service Strong, a collaborative effort by civil society, non-partisan good government and watchdog organizations, lawyers, and unions to ensure our nation’s civil service is able to continue to serve the American people and our Constitution, deliver for our nation, and support our communities.
- Democracy Works 250, an innovative and collaborative effort to reimagine and build foundations for a people-centered government and democracy, including through a nationwide listening project to catalogue the expectations and experiences of the American people and through optimizing the expertise of former civil servants and fired federal workers to contribute to plans to rebuild government.
- We Hold These Truths, a nationwide campaign dedicated to promoting unity and cross-ideological support for the five non-negotiables of American Democracy: voting and elections, personal freedom, equality, due process, and the rule of law.
- Together for Democracy, an initiative to build community and encourage courageous action across the nation.
“As the threats from the Trump-Vance regime continue to accelerate, we are continuing to expand our efforts to protect people, the Constitution, and our nation. We are proud of the historic, peaceful, and direct actions that people and communities have taken over the last year to protect themselves, their neighbors, and our democracy – both inside the courts and outside of the courtroom. Courage is the new currency. Whether it’s Day 1, Day 365, or Day 1,000, we will continue to meet this administration in court to protect our communities and our democracy,” Perryman added. “We call on everyone, including powerful institutions who have stayed on the sidelines, to commit to promoting democracy and resisting autocracy. It is not too late to choose the right side of history.”
A Spanish version of this press release is available here.
