Media Center

Today, Common Cause filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States asserting that former President Donald Trump should be excluded from the Colorado ballot under the 14th Amendment for his role in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The case comes on appeal after Colorado’s High Court recently ruled that the “disqualification clause” of the 14th Amendment applied to Presidents, thus making former President Trump ineligible for the state ballot. Colorado Common Cause filed an amicus brief in the Colorado Supreme Court’s case, ultimately aligning with the court’s final ruling.

A three-judge panel for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is allowing a case challenging Georgia’s racially gerrymandered congressional district map to move forward. The case, brought by several Georgia voters, Common Cause Georgia and the League of Women Voters of Georgia will go to trial in November.

A coalition of national organizations advocating for a stronger democracy published a report today evaluating redistricting efforts across all 50 states, awarding just two states with an “A” grade while 20 states earned a “D” or an “F” for their failures in transparency, opportunities for public input, nonpartisanship, and empowerment of communities of color. 

“Courts and judges play an important role in American democracy and should not have to fear violence for doing their job,” said Marilyn Carpinteyro, Common Cause interim co-president. “This report highlights why it’s so crucial that the courts and judges can enforce the law fairly and safely. Those in places of power—especially the president of the United States—have a responsibility to ensure judges can do their jobs free of intimidation.”

“Today’s indictment is a necessary step to hold former President Donald Trump and his associates accountable for the calculated and immoral attempt to reject the will of Georgia voters in the 2020 election."

No American is above the law, not even the President. But we learned during the Trump administration that existing laws are not sufficient to prevent abuses of the Office of the President. We need strong guardrails in the form of laws. We need the Protecting Our Democracy Act to provide greater checks and balances to the powers of the presidency while creating new mechanisms for transparency and accountability.