Coalition Represents Largest and Most Effective Legal Coordination Effort in Modern U.S. History
Washington, D.C. — More than 650 organizations and thousands of legal and policy advocates are marking the first anniversary of the launch of Democracy 2025, a first-of-its-kind national hub built to coordinate pro-democracy litigation, strategy, and rapid response efforts as communities across the country confront accelerating authoritarian actions from the Trump-Vance administration.
Born out of urgency and built for impact, Democracy 2025 has grown into the largest and most effective legal coordination effort in modern U.S. history — bringing together lawyers, advocates, organizers, experts, researchers, and policy strategists to defend people, communities, and our democracy against escalating attacks. The coalition has become critical not just to addressing a barrage of threats presented by the Trump-Vance administration but also because many large legal institutions, such as elite law firms, have been hesitant to challenge the administration in court, creating an even greater need for leadership and legal representation from the pro-democracy, public interest community.
Since its launch last year, Democracy 2025 has grown from an effort of a few hundred organizations to now more than 650 organizations, representing millions of people across the country. Thousands of individuals are engaged each day in building legal cases to protect people as part of the network, making both offensive moves and working swiftly to defend people and institutions when they are attacked. Democracy 2025 partners participate and collaborate across issue areas ranging from protecting free speech and individual rights, to protecting immigrants, to challenging attacks on essential federal programs, to opposing corruption, to blocking attempts to militarize our communities, to advancing civil rights, to promoting evidence-based health and science, to addressing climate and environmental concerns, and more. Democracy 2025 creates the infrastructure for coordination, thought leadership, and support for partner organizations in their crucial efforts to challenge the Trump-Vance administration. The network matches needs to legal teams to ensure that harmful and unlawful policies are challenged in court.
Since President Trump’s inauguration, 516 legal cases have been filed challenging harmful or unlawful federal actions that have been tracked by Democracy 2025. Of those, 263 cases (more than 50%) involve Democracy 2025 partners. The litigation effort has been successful, securing 405 litigation victories for people and communities. The majority of those victories (226 or 56%) have been achieved by Democracy 2025 partner organizations. That is in addition to 70 victories by state Attorneys General.
Democracy 2025, which is housed at Democracy Forward and supported by a dedicated staff of 13 lawyers and researchers, serves as the go-to legal coordination center for coalition partners, producing resources including litigation trackers, doctrinal analysis, post-decision guidance, rapid-response memos, and legal education materials. In addition to hundreds of public interest organizations, the Democracy 2025 network has supported smaller and mid-sized firms that have shown an interest in pro-democracy litigation.
As it enters its second year, Democracy 2025 will expand its strategic mapping, litigation coordination, specialized work groups, resource production, and attorney and advocate network, ensuring that partners have what they need to defend and protect the American people while finding opportunities to go on offense and build a better future.
“In this moment, community and collective action are critical. Democracy 2025 is proof that when communities, advocates, and institutions work together, autocracy can be effectively challenged. It was litigation in the early days of this administration that showed the people the tools they had to push back and that is now being matched with historical peaceful mobilizations in the streets,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Across the country, communities are safer, rights are protected, and institutions continue to function because of the coordinated, strategic, and deeply committed work of this coalition. Democracy 2025 exists because none of us can meet this moment alone. This coalition represents the best of what our country can be: courageous, coordinated, and unrelenting in the work to protect the rights and freedoms of all people.”
“The Trump administration’s campaign of shock and awe to implement Project 2025 was met with a coordinated and vigorous response that was every bit as shocking and awesome. Democracy 2025 shows that unity and alignment across our groups could effectively stem the tide. The Trump administration ends the year with less momentum than it started — and that’s a sign of our collective success,” said Deirdre Schifeling, Chief Political & Advocacy Officer, at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“The rule of law does not enforce itself. Preserving our constitution requires vigilance, bravery, and countless hours of work by patriotic individuals and entities across the country. We are proud to stand with partners and allies to help fulfill the promise of constitutional rights and protections against abuse of power,” said Wendy Weisner, Vice President for Democracy of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
“Over the last year, the Democracy 2025 coalition has been a driving force in the fight to preserve our democracy, and CREW has been proud to partner with Democracy Forward and the entire coalition as we seek to hold this lawless administration accountable,” said Donald Sherman, CREW Executive Director and Chief Counsel. “From defending the non-partisan civil service, to protecting against election sabotage, to fighting for accountability in court for this administration’s illegal actions, CREW will continue to hold the line alongside Democracy 2025 partners to ensure our democracy endures.”
“Relentless attacks on democracy require relentless resolve across the coalition. Democracy Defenders Fund has met this moment with rapid-response, strategic litigation, and—with our partners—we’ve protected core rights and institutions,” said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.),
Executive Chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “But we’re under no illusion: the road ahead will be harder. Our continued partnership with the Democracy 2025 coalition sustains a united, unyielding defense of our democracy.”
“Members of the Democracy 2025 effort have shown that law and the courts are essential and powerful tools to push back against authoritarianism, cronyism, and racism. It’s never been more important for us to collaborate, coordinate, and share, and Democracy 2025 has allowed us to do so,” said Sam Sankar, Vice President for Programs, Earthjustice.
“One year since the launch of Democracy 2025, it’s clear that the attacks on American democracy have been levied as we anticipated. At the same time we have been inspired by how robust, courageous and effective the response has been. Interfaith Alliance is grateful and proud of the role that diverse faith communities have played in the larger pro-democracy movement – mobilizing across the country to uphold civil rights, democratic institutions and our core freedoms as Americans. We look forward to continuing to work alongside our partners in the critical months ahead, and are confident that our vision for an America with liberty and justice for all will prevail,” said Rev. Paul Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
“Democracy 2025 brings together a powerful coalition of groups working across social justice movements to confront Donald Trump’s attacks on our rights and civil liberties. NILC is proud to be working alongside these fierce advocates, whose partnership has been critical to stopping some of this administration’s worst attempts to bypass the Constitution and the law to carry out its hateful mass deportation agenda. We will continue fighting to stop the ongoing harm being done to immigrant communities and ensure democracy prevails,” said Kate Kahan, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, National Immigration Law Center.
“Public Citizen has been litigating and organizing to meet this moment, and we believe to our bones that collaboration is needed to be successful in both endeavors. We seek to fight an authoritarian regime, and in order to do so, know we must use every collective tool that we have. We appreciate Democracy 2025 and Democracy Forward and the partnership we have found when we work together,” said Lisa Gilbert, Co-President of Public Citizen.
To learn more, visit democracy2025.org.
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