The Trump administration has implemented a near-total ban on abortion and abortion counseling at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities across the nation. The policy move not only affects veterans but also the families of eligible veterans covered by the VA’s…
Trump administration can’t block Congress from ICE inspections
A federal court ruling temporarily blocks the Trump administration from preventing members of Congress from conducting unannounced inspections of immigration detention facilities. U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb in Washington D.C. ruled Dec. 17 that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
Trump’s HUD reverses cuts to housing aid after lawsuit threat
The Trump administration suddenly reversed course Dec. 10 on a planned shift in housing policy that would have sent hundreds of thousands of children and adults into homelessness during the winter months, according to advocacy groups. The move came just…
Religious groups seek to prevent holiday immigration raids
A coalition of religious groups has asked a federal court to prevent federal immigration agents from raiding houses of worship during the holiday season. The plaintiffs in New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al., v. Department of…
‘It’s time for America and Congress to wake up’
It’s time for America to wake up and for Congress to wake up to the devastation being wrought by the Trump administration, Skye Perryman told the Texas Tribune Festival Nov 14. Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, was among four panelists…
Faith-based groups sue Texas over limitations on investment advice
Business and faith-based investment groups are suing Texas to stop enforcement of a new law that limits expert advice available to investors. “The plaintiffs are faith-based and nonprofit organizations that, as part of their missions, partner with institutional investors to…
As Trump balks on SNAP, advocates return to court
A coalition of small businesses, faith-based nonprofits and small governments returned to court Nov. 4 after the Trump administration gave mixed signals about its compliance with a judge’s order to resume food stamp payments during the government shutdown. The group…
Another lawsuit seeks to continue food stamp benefits
A coalition of faith-based nonprofits, small businesses and local governments filed suit Oct. 30 to challenge President Donald Trump’s refusal to continue food stamp funding during the government shutdown. The action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District…
‘Never before have we seen this,’ Pritzker and Perryman agree
The politicization of democracy is one of the most disturbing precedents of Donald Trump’s second presidency, Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said during a livestreamed conversation with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. American democracy and constitutional freedoms never have endured the…
Trump administration refuses to document ‘anti-Christian bias’ concerns
President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias faces yet more litigation demanding the release of records related to the commission’s investigation of government agencies. Democracy Forward and Interfaith Alliance filed a lawsuit Oct. 22 to obtain documents from…
Coalition sues to stop $100,000 fee on H-1B visas
The Trump administration now faces litigation to block its new $100,000 fee on employer-sponsored nonimmigrant visas. Democracy Forward announced the lawsuit filed Oct. 3 by a coalition of health care providers, labor unions, religious organizations and schools against President Donald…
To fight for democracy, act locally, Perryman advises
The way to win in the global fight for democracy is to think locally, according to Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward. In a keynote address to a summit on religious freedom in public schools held in Dallas Sept. 15,…