MEDIA CENTER

The Department of Justice continues to violate the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) by overredacting information, withholding documents, and apparently now narrowing its document search while publicly claiming full compliance, Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) said today.

A federal court in Maryland denied efforts to prevent Elon Musk and others from being deposed by attorneys in the class action lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The case, which was the first asserting Musk’s actions violate the United States Constitution’s Appointments Clause, will now continue, including proceeding with discovery.

The American Association of University Professors and a group of immigrant professionals today filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s “Gold Card” visa program, which unlawfully sells U.S. residency to wealthy individuals while pushing aside scientists, researchers, engineers, and other outstanding professionals whom Congress directed the system to prioritize.

Democracy Defenders Fund has submitted another series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests concerning the alleged bribery scheme involving Tom Homan. The first request seeks records from the Department of Justice (DOJ) related to the DOJ’s investigation of Homan, including case files, interview reports, and summaries, as well as any communication between the DOJ, the White House, and Trump’s White House transition team. The second request seeks documents from the Department of Homeland Security that could provide insight into contractors who may have benefited from the alleged pay-to-play scheme.

In a new ruling, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down key provisions of President Trump’s anti-voting executive order issued early last year. The court blocked provisions that directed certain federal agency heads to assess citizenship before providing voter registration forms to people receiving public assistance. It also blocked a provision that ordered the Secretary of Defense to add a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement to the registration form for military and overseas voters.

Following is a statement by Amb. Norm Eisen (ret) , executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) continued failure to fully release all eligible files relating to the Epstein investigation, as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Democracy Defenders Fund has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration & Customs Enforcement seeking the release of communications and records related to the killing of Alex Pretti. The request comes following the Department of Homeland Security’s disturbingly different interpretation of the information currently available.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and a broad coalition of labor organizations, nonprofit groups, and local governments filed a supplemental complaint Tuesday challenging the unlawful and drastic reduction of staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The coalition is represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP, Democracy Forward, Democracy Defenders Fund, Protect Democracy, and the Public Rights Project.

Democracy Defenders Fund issues the following statement in response to recent actions by the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration enforcement agencies.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is quietly altering and re-redacting some previously released Jeffrey Epstein files while continuing to withhold the overwhelming majority of records mandated for public release under federal law, Democracy Defenders Fund outlines in a complaint filed today with the DOJ Office of the Inspector General.

Following is a joint statement by Abbe David Lowell of Lowell & Associates, and Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding the Trump administration's attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Susan Tsui Grundmann has moved to dismiss her lawsuit challenging her removal by President Trump from her position on the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), an independent federal agency that adjudicates labor management disputes between federal agencies, unions and employees.

Democracy Defenders Fund today released a series of essays (Autocracy vs. Democracy in America: A First Year Report) evaluating the Trump administration’s assault on our democracy and how the courts, institutions and civil society met the threats. Following are statements by Norm Eisen and Susan Corke reflecting on the first year of the Trump administration.

A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) would violate a court injunction issued earlier this year.

Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) today called for an investigation into Caroline Pham, the former Acting Chairman of the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), over potential criminal ethics violations. The complaint asks the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., and the FBI to investigate whether Pham violated federal conflict-of-interest laws. It alleges she personally directed the CFTC’s cryptocurrency regulation and enforcement policies while she was also negotiating future employment with MoonPay. MoonPay is a digital-asset payments company that describes itself as “a key driver behind mainstream crypto adoption.”

Today, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Democracy Defenders Fund, and Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin and Schiller filed a motion to intervene in EEOC v. The University of Pennsylvania on behalf of five organizations affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. The groups petitioning the court to join the proceedings represent Jewish faculty and student employees who oppose the non-consensual release of organizational membership rosters and members’ personal information based on the First Amendment right to associate confidentially, which directly impacts the freedoms of speech, association, privacy, and religious liberty.

A new report from Democracy Defenders Fund warns that President Trump’s personal involvement in a Treasury-backed stablecoin creates unprecedented risk to the U.S. financial system, directly entangling a sitting president’s personal financial interests with the stability of the U.S. Treasury market.

Following is a statement by Susan Corke, executive director, and Norman Eisen, executive chair at Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding the Department of Justice’s “criminal” investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has submitted an amicus brief in Watson v. Republican National Committee before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the states, not the federal government, set election law, and that it would be incredibly harmful to LULAC members, and voters across the country, if ballots are required to be received by Election Day.

This week, Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) launched two parallel legal campaigns in response to President Trump's invasion of Venezuela and seizure of the country's oil.

DDF today requested that the DOJ Office of Inspector General conduct a comprehensive audit into the DOJ’s failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. While the legislation required the files to be released by December 19, the DOJ has released less than 1% of the documents and records by their own admission.

DDF and a team of outside legal counsel are actively reviewing the Department of Justice’s latest release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. As has been widely reported, the materials produced are incomplete and do not comply with the requirements Congress set forth in the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Following is a statement by Amb. (ret) Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, on the Department of Justice’s release of files relating to the Epstein investigation, as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Following is a statement by Amb. (ret.) Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, in response to the federal jury verdict convicting Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan of felony obstruction while acquitting her on a misdemeanor charge.

Following is a statement by Virginia Canter, counsel and director for ethics and anticorruption at Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding the announcement that Caroline Pham, Acting Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, accepted post-government employment with the cryptocurrency payment platform MoonPay.