Booked and Busy

This Week in Democracy

• Former?President Trump?and his?18 co-defendants?surrendered to Georgia authorities?after being indicted last week for?allegedly conspiring to?overturn the results of the state’s 2020 presidential election. ???READ:?The Georgia charges, explained

• The?Justice Department?pushed back?on Trump’s claim that he needs until 2026 to be ready for trial in the?federal election interference case against him.?Delaying until then “would deny the public its right to a speedy trial,” according to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. ???READ:?DOJ’s charges against Trump, explained

• Former Trump attorney?John Eastman’s disciplinary trial before the California State Bar?resumed this week.?Eastman faces potential disbarment?for his role in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election. ???READ:?States United’s backgrounder on the trial

• A majority of professional investors believe?the risk to American democracy is growing,?according to a survey?conducted by?States United?in partnership with the?Brookings Institution.?The findings are a reminder that threats to our democracy?also pose a threat to the U.S. economy.

Booked and Busy

John Eastman?had a busy week facing the consequences of his own actions. Just two days after he?surrendered to Georgia authorities?on charges involving a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, his?disciplinary trial resumed?in California for professional misconduct as one of the legal architects of that plot.?

Back in January, Eastman was?charged with 11 disciplinary counts?by the California State Bar, which licenses him to practice law. Throughout the trial, which began in June, experts have?debunked?his legal claims as baseless and lacking historical precedent.?

During the trial’s six-week break, Eastman was?confirmed?to be one of the six unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators in the federal indictment of Trump brought by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith. He was also named as one of Trump’s 18 indicted co-defendants in the Georgia criminal case, where he surrendered on Tuesday.?

Most of the 19 surrendered without making a fuss. Former White House Chief of Staff?Mark Meadows?and former Justice Department official?Jeffrey Clark tried to avoid their arrest by filing a motion in court, a move that was quickly?denied.

?“Your client is no different than any other criminal defendant in this jurisdiction,”?Fulton County District Attorney?Fani Willis?wrote to Meadows’ lawyer.

In The News

“‘There is a lucrative movement out there whose purpose is to confuse voters and to encourage them to give up on the system,’?Joanna Lydgate, president and CEO of?States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization aimed at protecting free and fair elections, told the Arizona Mirror.”

“‘This is not about getting Donald Trump,’ said?Joanna Lydgate, CEO of?States United Democracy Center, a Boston-based group that advocates for safe and accurate elections. ‘It’s about taking every possible step to protect democracy and the rule of law.’”

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