With the election decided, I want to recognize what a devastating result this is for our country and everything we stand for at Public Rights Project. As Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
We saw from the first Trump administration how much chaos and lawlessness they inflicted on our most marginalized populations. They targeted immigrants and anyone who disagreed with them for retribution. Now, according to Project 2025 and the campaign’s own statements, the second administration promises to be a much greater threat to the rule of law and every right we hold dear in the U.S.
But we’re not giving up. And we need you by our side to make sure every single local government official in our network — regardless of party — has the right resources to keep fighting. With our partners, we repeatedly beat the Trump administration in the first term. And we’re ready to do it again. We know this time will be even tougher, but we also know retreating is not an option when people’s lives, rights, and freedoms are at stake.
In recent years, we’ve already faced so many grave challenges and threats. Across the country, state legislatures and the federal judiciary are assaulting the civil rights of countless communities. Workers are vulnerable to exploitation. Women lack access to basic health care. LGBTQIA+ people face discrimination and danger. Voters all too often are required to jump through hoops just to cast their ballots. And Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are harmed most by these problems.
There is an answer. Local governments are critical and under-used change agents. They can stand up for what’s right when they have the courage, the capacity, and the connections. They will be a crucial source of power over the next four years. Our wins together include ensuring abortion access in Michigan, winning millions in lost wages from bad employers, and preventing last-minute rule changes from undermining the election in Georgia.
In the last few weeks, our election protection work intensified. In Pennsylvania, we coordinated with nearly 30 election officials in under 30 hours on an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief successfully argued against the court’s intervention to stop a Pennsylvania ruling that counties can use provisional ballots when mail-in ballots are rejected. PRP also collaborated with Cobb County on an amicus brief to the Georgia Supreme Court against reinstating several new election rules. The court left in place a ruling that these rules were illegal — a big win for our clients in Muscogee and voters across the state.
I feel an immense sense of gratitude for the thousands of local election officials across the country who ensured our right to vote and the integrity of our elections. These folks — many of them are our clients — were preparing for months, and they did their jobs diligently. They are still counting every vote and will certify the results fairly and transparently. Their hard work, in collaboration with our partners and our team, protects the process.
Our election protection work is intertwined with our reproductive rights work, as ballot initiatives around abortion rights have become catalysts for infringing on voter rights. We took action in six states and nationally to protect and advance abortion access and bodily autonomy. I am deeply grateful for our partners in Arizona and Missouri who won against anti-democratic forces to ensure that abortion rights were on the ballot. And last night, voters chose to enshrine abortion rights in both states’ constitutions.
PRP’s mission is to work with local governments to protect and advance civil rights, and it’s now more important than ever. We have a plan and will put it into action with your help. We’ve learned how to fight — and win — for our most marginalized communities by using all our legal tools. In 2025 and beyond, PRP will relentlessly support our local government partners and push them to be even better champions of civil rights. Through it all, we will keep centering equity and justice.
I know this moment feels unsettling, dark, and even scary. But times like this strengthen my resolve to help government officials use their tremendous power for good. The PRP team and I are more committed than ever to the fight.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
In solidarity,
Jill Habig
