MEDIA CENTER
For general media and press inquiries, please reach out to us at press@democracydefenders.org
OPPOSITION COALITION APPLAUDS ACTION BY 12 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL TO BLOCK PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY MERGER
Statement | July 13, 2026
The Block the Merger coalition applauds California Attorney General Rob Bonta for leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington, to take crucial action to investigate and block the dangerous Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The suit charges that combining two of the largest media and entertainment companies in the United States would substantially weaken competition, reduce jobs and wages for film and television workers, raise prices for consumers, and concentrate control over what Americans watch in fewer hands than at any point in the modern history of the industry.
STATEMENT FROM COUNSEL ON DAVEY HEARN ARRAIGNMENT
Statement | July 9, 2026
Following today’s arraignment of Davey Hearn, counsel for the Olympian, including Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, issued the following statement:
COUNSEL FOR OLYMPIAN DAVEY HEARN CONDEMN HIS INDICTMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Statement | July 2, 2026
In response to the indictment of Davey Hearn, counsel for the Olympian, including Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, issued the following statement.
LABOR UNIONS, NONPROFITS, CITIES, AND COUNTIES SEEK INJUNCTION TO STOP IMPENDING U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REORGANIZATION
Press Release | July 2, 2026
A broad coalition of nationwide labor unions, non-profit organizations, and cities and counties from across the country moved for injunctive relief in their challenge to the massive Trump-Vance administration effort to unlawfully reorganize the federal government, reduce the government workforce, and harm the government’s ability to deliver vital services to families across the country. This action is necessary to prevent mass staff departures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, represented by plaintiffs Unions American Federation of Government Employees and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, that would leave the department unable to fulfill its essential functions.
GROUPS REPRESENTING PLAINTIFFS RESPOND TO SUPREME COURT BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP RULING
Statement | June 30, 2026
In a major victory, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship is unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Maine, ACLU of Massachusetts, Legal Defense Fund, Asian Law Caucus, and the Democracy Defenders Fund brought the successful challenge in Trump v. Barbara on behalf of children who would have been denied citizenship under the order.
DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT RULING IN WATSON V. RNC
Statement | June 29, 2026
Following are statements from Democracy Defenders Fund regarding today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Watson v. Republican National Committee. The organization submitted an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens in January. The brief argues that the states, not the federal government, set election law, and that it would harm LULAC members, and voters across the country, if ballots were required to be received by Election Day.
OPM MUST ABANDON PLAN FOR UNLAWFUL NDA REQUIREMENTS FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
Press Release | June 26, 2026
Today, Democracy Defenders Fund filed a comment letter with the Office of Personnel Management, requesting the withdrawal of a proposed government-wide non-disclosure agreement, a move that could chill whistleblowers and others from exposing government wrongdoing.
DDF URGES POLISH GOVERNMENT TO SCRUTINIZE PARAMOUNT–WARNER BROS. DISCOVER MERGER OVER THREAT TO TVN AND POLISH MEDIA INDEPENDENCE
Press Release | June 22, 2026
On Friday, June 19, Democracy Defenders Fund sent a letter to the prime minister of Poland and four Polish regulatory authorities, urging coordinated scrutiny of the pending Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery merger. If allowed to proceed, the deal would transfer ultimate control of Poland's largest independent private broadcaster, TVN S.A., to a U.S. conglomerate that will operate with over one-third of its equity owned by the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. None of those funds belong to the OECD or the European Economic Area. This proposed ownership structure poses a threat to Poland’s democracy, and DDF encourages Polish regulators to take this threat into account as they analyze the transaction.
TODD BLANCHE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR PATTERN OF SERIOUS ETHICAL MISCONDUCT
Press Release | June 22, 2026
Today, Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers Defending American Democracy and a group of 101 former federal and state judges formally filed a comprehensive complaint in a letter to the New York State Bar, which includes a request to open a professional responsibility investigation into acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND: TODD BLANCHE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO REVIEW COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIMSELF
Press Release | June 16, 2026
Today, Democracy Defenders Fund called for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's recusal from the development of a proposed DOJ rule that would give the attorney general expanded power to review state bar ethics complaints against current or former DOJ lawyers, including those made against Blanche himself.
BLOCK THE MERGER COALITION: “THIS MERGER IS NOT A DONE DEAL, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER IS.”
Statement | June 12, 2026
Following the news that Trump’s Department of Justice has approved the Ellisons’ bid to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the economic, societal, and democratic harms the Paramount Skydance-WBD merger poses, the Block the Merger coalition released the following statement.
NORM EISEN: HOUSE OVERSIGHT INQUIRY INTO DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND IS A “POLITICAL ATTACK MASQUERADING AS AN INVESTIGATION”
Statement | June 11, 2026
The following is a statement from Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, in response to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s inquiry into DDF:
U.K. COMPETITION AND MARKETS AUTHORITY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION OF PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY MERGER FOLLOWING DDF COMMENT
Press Release | June 10, 2026
The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority has launched a Phase I investigation into the pending Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger following a comment filed with the CMA by Democracy Defenders Fund.
DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND URGES CFTC TO INVESTIGATE POLYMARKET VIOLATIONS OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT TO PREVENT FRAUD AND INSIDER TRADING
Press Release | June 9, 2026
Democracy Defenders Fund is calling on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to begin a formal investigation into whether Polymarket.com has violated its obligations under an existing settlement agreement with the agency and whether its conduct violates the Commodity Exchange Act.
NORM EISEN: TODD BLANCHE IS UNFIT TO SERVE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Statement | June 9, 2026
Following is a statement from Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding Trump’s nomination of his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to serve as attorney general:
DDF URGES U.K. COMPETITION AND MARKETS AUTHORITY TO INVESTIGATE PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY MERGER OVER HARM TO INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE MARKET, FREE PRESS
Press Release | June 3, 2026
Today, Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) filed a comment with the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) calling for an in-depth Phase II investigation into the pending Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The merger raises public interest concerns like a threat to free expression and media pluralism that the U.K. Secretary of State needs to investigate.
DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND SUES FBI FOR RECORDS ON KASH PATEL’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED OLYMPICS TRIP
Press Release | June 3, 2026
Democracy Defenders Fund sued the FBI after the agency failed to release records about FBI Director Kash Patel’s February 2026 trip to Italy and the Winter Olympics. The records could shed light on whether Patel used taxpayer resources for personal travel.
“THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING”: GROUPS OPPOSING MERGER WARN 60 MINUTES FIRINGS MARK WHAT’S TO COME FOR CNN IF MERGER APPROVED
Press Release | June 2, 2026
Last week, David Ellison and Bari Weiss escalated their efforts to remake CBS to President Trump’s liking, firing 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondent Cecilia Vega, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. The actions have received widespread criticism, including from 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who accused Weiss of “murdering” the program. The escalation comes as over 200 journalists, academics, and filmmakers signed a letter highlighting the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger’s threat to free speech and independent journalism, and an opposition campaign among the film and entertainment industry grew to over 5,500 strong.
FORMER DOJ PROSECUTORS URGE COURT TO BLOCK ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND TIED TO JANUARY 6 INSURRECTION CASES
Press Release | June 2, 2026
Two former DOJ prosecutors filed a lawsuit yesterday, asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to halt the creation of the nearly $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund. The plaintiffs, Michael Gordon and Michael Romano, are represented by Democracy Defenders Fund; Platkin LLP; Heaphy, Smith, Harbach & Windom LLP; and the Washington Litigation Group and are former prosecutors in the DOJ’s Capitol Siege Section.The lawsuit argues that the Anti-Weaponization Fund violates multiple laws and constitutional provisions, including the First Amendment, the Appointments Clause, the Spending Clause, the Appropriations Clause, and the separation of powers.
ELECTION OFFICIALS AND EXPERTS WARN SUPREME COURT THAT ALABAMA’S EMERGENCY MAP CHANGE WOULD CREATE A ‘LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE’
Press Release | June 1, 2026
A bipartisan coalition of current and former election officials and experts filed an amicus brief today urging the Supreme Court to deny Alabama’s request to upend the current election by allowing them to change congressional maps. The coalition warns that Alabama election officials would face unprecedented and extraordinary challenges in administering the election if forced to implement a different map. Such a move will almost certainly lead to widespread confusion, substantial mistakes in voter reassignments and votes of eligible voters not being counted.
DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND AND WASHINGTON BALTIMORE NEWS GUILD TO ARBITRATE WRONGFUL TERMINATION OF WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST KAREN ATTIAH
Press Release | June 1, 2026
The Washington Baltimore News Guild and Democracy Defenders Fund will proceed to arbitration on June 4 challenging the wrongful termination of Karen Attiah, former global opinions editor and columnist at The Washington Post. Attiah served the Post for 11 years with an unblemished disciplinary record. Under the Post Guild Collective Bargaining Agreement, bypassing progressive discipline requires proof of “gross misconduct” — a threshold management cannot meet.
DOL'S PROPOSED 401(K) CRYPTO RULE COULD BE A BOON FOR THE PRESIDENT AND A HUGE RISK FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE’S RETIREMENT SAVINGS
Press Release | May 29, 2026
A proposed Department of Labor rule would put ordinary people's retirement security at risk by loosening investor standards and establishing a so-called “safe harbor” for retirement plan managers (ERISA plan fiduciaries) to invest in volatile digital assets, a decision tainted by the president’s deep financial ties to the crypto industry, Democracy Defenders Fund said today.
ETHICS COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST PAM BONDI ALLEGES PATTERN OF SERIOUS MISCONDUCT AND WIDESPREAD VIOLATIONS OF DUTIES AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Press Release | May 27, 2026
A comprehensive ethics complaint filed today against former Attorney General Pamela Bondi reveals her longstanding pattern of misconduct, threatening the rule of law and administration of justice. According to the complaint filed by Peggy A. Quince, retired Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, and joined by Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Lawyers for the Rule of Law and over 100 scholars and retired judges, Bondi’s actions violated the Florida Rules of Professional Conduct and fostered an environment of lawlessness inside the Department of Justice.
NEW DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND BRIEF: TRUMP’S LAWFARE AND WEAPONIZATION FUND IS A “DEEPLY DISTURBING AND ABNORMAL” ABUSE OF POWER
Press Release | May 20, 2026
Democracy Defenders Fund today published an issue brief warning that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” established by President Trump and the DOJ–tied to his $10 billion lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns–would be an unprecedented abuse of power and a violation of the Emoluments Clause. Worse, it would allow the president to funnel taxpayer dollars to his loyalists.