Democratic Party

• WESTCHESTER, Ill., April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch was unanimously recommended to serve as the new Proviso Township Committeeman in a meeting held Friday evening of the Executive Committee, replacing the late Karen Yarbrough.
• With the support of every local mayor, labor leaders from throughout the state, and active Democrats throughout the township, the Proviso Township Democratic Organization (PTDO) recommended to the Cook County Democratic Party that Speaker Welch be named Proviso Township Committeeman.
• Before being elected State Representative, Welch served on the Proviso Township High School Board after graduating from Proviso West, where he played baseball.
• The entire organization believes that Speaker Welch is best able to serve as Committeeman and continue making Proviso Township a strong, united organization."

• The claim arises from his federal charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, but also may apply to the charges he faces over hoarding classified documents after leaving office.
• No Supreme Court has decided this question, nor has any of its rulings said definitively what counts as an official act and what does not.
• But to the justices, and to me as a scholar of American politics and law, perhaps no commentator is as persuasive as the Supreme Court itself – in particular, in a ruling from 50 years ago.

A slowly unfolding inquiry

• It was sparked by a burglary of Democratic Party headquarters in Washington’s Watergate Complex in May 1972 and mounting evidence that Nixon had orchestrated a cover-up.
• In the summer of 1973, the highly publicized Senate hearings on Watergate publicly revealed the existence of tape recordings of Oval Office conversations.

A rapid series of court decisions

• On May 24, 1974, Jaworski filed a request for certiorari before judgment, a rarely used legal mechanism asking the Supreme Court to get involved before the appeals court heard the case.
• On May 31, six justices, including two Nixon appointees, granted Jaworski’s request and set oral arguments for July 8.
• One justice, William Rehnquist, recused himself because he had worked in Nixon’s Justice Department before being appointed to the court.
• One of its key pieces of evidence was one of the recordings the Supreme Court had ordered released.
• The Supreme Court had moved quickly, accepting the case at the earliest point it could have.

Trump’s delays

• Circuit Court of Appeals in December 2023, special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to grant certiorari before judgment.
• During John Roberts’ time as chief justice, the Supreme Court has frequently agreed with those requests.
• That is already more time than had elapsed between the Supreme Court accepting and deciding the case in 1974.

The importance of speed

• I am not the only one who believes the Trump case is of similar – if not greater – importance to democracy.
• It’s not yet clear how soon the Roberts court will rule, but in 1974, the justices appreciated “the public importance of the issues presented and the need for their prompt resolution”.

Donald Nieman has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.

• Under separate approval from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) , DDC is already able to provide these tools to state parties and candidates running for federal office.
• Speakers include Richardson; Michael Kaiser, president & CEO, Defending Digital Campaigns; Matthew Wilson, first vice chair, Democratic Party of Georgia; Joshua McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party; and Seth Blank, chief technology officer of Valimail.
• However, the flip side to these digital advantages is the heightened vulnerability to cyber threats if adequate security measures are not in place.
• "Protecting campaigns from cyber attacks is fundamental to our democracy," said Michael Kaiser of Defending Digital Campaigns.

• In 2024, the top issues for Black women voters are inflation, the cost of living and affordable housing.
• With eight months until the November 2024 elections, the poll shows that Black women have top concerns about a broad range of issues, but the top issues for Black women voters are inflation, the cost of living and affordable housing.
• Heading into the 2024 elections, Black women voters are most worried about inflation, the cost of living and affordable housing.
• Nearly 81% of Black women voters believe that Black women elected officials have the power to effect change in their communities.