There are 157 voting and election cases pending in state and federal courts in nearly every state in the country. My law firm is litigating 72 of them. Put another way, my team of 60 lawyers represents parties in nearly half of all the voting and election cases pending in state and federal courts.

This is not new. In one way or another, my team and I have been involved in litigating most of the major voting and redistricting cases decided by the Supreme Court in the last decade. We are currently awaiting decisions from the high court in critical mail-in voting and campaign finance cases — both of which involve clients we represent in the fight to uphold democracy.

While most of you know that I remain an active voting and elections lawyer, you also know me as the founder of Democracy Docket. Through my writing, podcast and advocacy, I try to offer an insider's perspective on the fight for free and fair elections.

While there are many excellent journalists, commentators and pundits, few can offer what I can: the perspective of someone directly in the fight.

There are hundreds of choices and tradeoffs that go into litigating voting and election cases. If you only hear about final opinions and legal precedent, you can miss what is truly important to voters and election outcomes. My goal is always to provide that context to you in real time.

This isn't easy. Writing about law and elections in ways that convey nuance and complex decisions does not come naturally to me. I was trained to write as a lawyer for other lawyers and to make oral arguments to persuade judges.

Writing several times a week for Democracy Docket has required me to learn new skills. So has hosting a YouTube podcast and regularly appearing on television and on other people's shows.

It also, frankly, takes an enormous amount of time. When people ask me when I find time to devote to writing and recording, I tell them honestly: it's typically nights and weekends.

I am writing this on Sunday evening. The piece you received yesterday about the raid on an Ohio voter registration group was written on Saturday before the Knicks game.

I say this not to complain. I am incredibly fortunate to do the work I do.

Not many lawyers can honestly say they love their clients and believe in their missions. I can. I have great colleagues at my firm — smart people doing this work for all the right reasons.

The Democracy Docket team is committed to first-rate journalism and to building a truly pro-democracy, independent media outlet that serves its readers, viewers and listeners — not corporate interests.

While I lament the shortage of law firms willing to take on the Trump administration or Republican-controlled states over their efforts to gerrymander maps, suppress voting rights, and subvert election results, an even bigger concern right now is the collapse of legacy media's traditional role as watchdog.

Every day brings further evidence that Donald Trump and his allies are intimidating, co-opting or outright purchasing the largest legacy outlets. I will spare you the long list and the latest examples of this troubling phenomenon.

In addition to litigating a record number of cases, I have set a goal for myself to help offset these media losses in 2026. For me, that means growing Democracy Docket's scope, reach, and influence.

Democracy Docket has already begun expanding its newsroom to provide you with more in-depth coverage of the biggest developments in the fight for free and fair elections.

Growing Democracy Docket’s reach is more difficult. One of my earliest decisions was not to rely on Substack. The result is true independence. Democracy Docket’s technology stack is its own. No vendor can pressure or undermine its ability to provide independent journalism.

But there are tradeoffs. Substack’s built-in network and cross-referral system make it much easier to be discovered by prospective subscribers. But having seen what happens when online platforms maximize their own profits at the expense of creators and users, I did not want to risk that happening to Democracy Docket.

The good news is that Democracy Docket has continued to grow by word of mouth and social media. It now has more than 465,000 newsletter subscribers, and its website and social media posts are viewed by millions.

For Democracy Docket to accelerate this growth and gain influence, however, it needs to expand faster. That means hiring more people and deploying more resources.

You are receiving this because you are currently a free subscriber. If you are able to join as a paying member, you will get access to exclusive content and events. Most importantly, it will help amplify our voice and support Democracy Docket's mission. As an incentive, if you join today using code DD20, you will receive $20 off your first year.

Either way, thank you for being part of this community.