Guilty on All Counts

This Week in Democracy

• A jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts in his New York criminal trial. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11. A new States United Action survey experiment found that Trump could lose a meaningful amount of support as a result of the verdict. ➡️ READ: More on the findings   

• Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis’s Colorado law license was suspended for three years, following Ellis’s guilty plea in the Georgia election interference case. In December, States United and Lawyers Defending American Democracy asked Colorado’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel to pursue discipline based on her plea. ➡️ READ: Our statement on Ellis’s suspension   

• Melinda French Gates announced $200 million in new grants to support organizations—including States United—that are advancing women’s power and protecting women’s rights. 

Guilt on All Counts

Process matters in a democracy. The criminal charges against Donald Trump in New York were brought by a grand jury of everyday Americans, overseen by an independent prosecutor. Trump was presumed innocent and entitled to a trial, under an impartial judge, by a jury of his peers. 

That jury listened to the testimony of 22 witnesses and examined more than 200 exhibits. They deliberated carefully for more than nine hours, then delivered their verdict: Guilty on all counts. 

Trump attacked the process all along. During the trial, he repeatedly violated a court order meant to protect witnesses, jurors, and court staff from harassment and threats. But the prosecutor, the judge, and especially the jurors did their jobs. They upheld the rule of law. 

Since Trump was first charged, we’ve said the American people deserved to have his criminal cases heard before they deliver their judgment in the 2024 election. They deserved to know whether one candidate was a convicted felon. Now he is. 

Surveys suggest a guilty verdict by a jury could reduce support for Trump. The voters will have the final say in November. But the New York jurors just had theirs. They said, 34 times but with one voice, that no one is above the law. 

Suspended License 

One more time: When lawyers use their law licenses to try to overturn a free and fair election, they must face consequences.  

Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis learned this once before. She was formally censured by the Colorado Supreme Court last year for making false public statements about the 2020 election. 

Then, last fall, she pleaded guilty to a felony in the Georgia election interference case. States United and Lawyers Defending American Democracy followed up with a letter to the office that regulates attorney conduct in Colorado, calling for additional consequences. 

This week, those additional consequences arrived: For three years, Ellis won’t be allowed to practice in Colorado. On the heels of John Eastman’s recommended disbarment, it’s another victory for truth, accountability, and the rule of law. 

State of the States

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appealed a decision that dismissed six charges in the election interference case against Trump and his 18 co-defendants. Judge Scott McAfee dismissed the charges in March but left the remaining 35 charges intact, including the state racketeering charge against each of the defendants. Willis’ appeal must be considered by the Georgia Court of Appeals before a trial can begin. 

➡️ READ: The Georgia charges, explained   

In Pennsylvania, voting rights groups filed a lawsuit to overturn a state law that blocks ballots that are missing a handwritten date from being counted. The lawsuit contends that the law violates the state’s constitution, which guarantees Pennsylvanians the right to elections that are “free and equal.” 

“In the years of litigation over this issue, it has become irrefutably clear that the handwritten date serves no function in the administration of Pennsylvania’s election,” a spokesperson for the department said. “As a result, the Department has consistently argued in court that voters should not be disenfranchised for failing to write or incorrectly writing a date that serves no function.” 

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time for us to recognize the contributions of those groups to our democracy, and the importance of making every voice heard. That includes both fair and equal access to the ballot and representation in government.  

Hundreds of AANHPI Americans hold statewide office and serve in state legislatures, on both sides of the aisle. At the federal level, there are at least 22 AANHPI members of Congress right now, and Kamala Harris is our country’s first Asian American vice president. 

Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month  

At every level of government, Jewish Americans are among the many public servants doing the hard work of defending democracy. In statewide offices, governors like Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, attorneys general like Dana Nessel of Michigan, and secretaries of state like Jena Griswold of Colorado are leading the way when it comes to protecting our free and fair elections.  

These officials represent just a few of the many Jewish American public servants who, over generations, have helped shape American democracy as we know it today. May is also a month to honor and recognize them and their contributions. 

In the News

• Colorado Newsline: Judge approves 3-year law license suspension for Jenna Ellis, former Trump lawyer Gillian Feiner, senior counsel at States United Democracy Center, which along with Lawyers Defending American Democracy in December had formally requested that Colorado officials pursue disciplinary action against Ellis after her guilty plea in Georgia, issued a statement Tuesday after the suspension was announced. “Jenna Ellis abused her law license and committed a crime when she facilitated Trump’s illegal attempt to overturn Georgia’s free and fair election,” Feiner said. “She undermined confidence in our democracy and endangered hardworking election workers. Attorneys who engage in that kind of misconduct must face serious consequences. No one is above the law.”   

• The Associated Press: Less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to women and girls. Can Melinda French Gates change that? “In our fight to protect free and fair elections, we’re up against a well-funded, well-coordinated, anti-democracy machine that’s spewing disinformation and running dangerous candidates for office,” said Joanna Lydgate, co-founder and CEO of the States United Democracy Center, another recipient of new funding from Pivotal Ventures.   

• The Associated Press: Voter outreach groups targeted by new laws in several GOP-led states are struggling to do their work   

• The Hill: Republicans divided on pledging to accept 2024 election results   

• CNN: In battleground Nevada county, a top elections official confronts escalating threats   
• Michigan Advance: Exams begin for next group of people charged in fake electors scheme   

• The Texas Tribune: Texas officials compromised ballot secrecy as they increased election transparency 

Clip of the Week

Secretaries of State Jocelyn Benson (D-Mich.), Adrian Fontes (D-Ariz.), Brad Raffensperger (R-Ga.), and Al Schmidt (R-Penn.) joined NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss how they’re preparing for the November election. 

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