Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit demanding Rhode Island's unredacted voter rolls. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, rejecting the DOJ's demand for detailed voter information. The ruling protects voter privacy and prevents the administration from accessing sensitive state voting data.
Executive Order 13933 was signed on June 26, 2020, directing federal agencies to enforce existing laws against the destruction of federal monuments and statues, and directing the Department of Justice to prosecute vandalism of public property. The order established that agencies must protect monuments on federal property and directed law enforcement to address property damage during protests. The confirmed direct impact included increased federal prosecution of individuals who damaged or removed statues and monuments, particularly during 2020 civil unrest.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13891 on October 9, 2019, establishing new requirements for federal agencies issuing guidance documents. The order requires agencies to treat guidance documents as non-binding, distinguish them clearly from rules, and submit them to Office of Management and Budget review. The order affects how federal agencies communicate regulatory expectations to the public and regulated entities, changing the process by which guidance is issued but not eliminating existing guidance documents.
On July 11, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13880, directing the Secretary of Commerce to include a citizenship status question on the 2020 decennial census. The order required the Census Bureau to collect citizenship information as part of the standard census questionnaire. The order faced immediate legal challenges and was blocked by federal courts before implementation; the 2020 census proceeded without a citizenship question.
A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's Justice Department lawsuit seeking access to Arizona's detailed voter rolls. The ruling blocked the government's attempt to obtain extensive voter information ahead of the midterm elections. This legal setback prevents the administration from accessing sensitive voter data that could have been used for the nationwide effort to compile voter information.