Three Wins Today: Aug 27, 2025
2/3 of these judges are Republicans, remember that.
I have so much to say and no time to do it. It’s been a long day, another day where it just feels like everything has been thrown at the wall to see what can be the most discouraging. So, please remember, we must focus on the wins so we can fight from a place of hope rather than fear. And the more you look for wins, the more wins you will find.
Don’t stop looking, looking for wins is like medicine right now.
And if you want to hear how Doomerella took this news, the video is at the bottom of this post.
Alabama
Fri, Aug 22 - Trump appointee, Judge Anna Manasco ruled that AL’s State Senate maps in Montgomery DO violate the Voting Rights Act. Judge Manasco makes it abundantly clear that redistricting MUST include changes to Montgomery:
As the Legislature considers such plans, it should be mindful of the practical reality, based on the ample evidence of intensely racially polarized voting adduced during the trial, that any remedial plan will need to include an additional district in the Montgomery area in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.
The Mongomery districts must be redrawn by the next election in 2026. The state will likely appeal, but, that’s purely an educated guess at this point.
However, she also decided that Huntsville does not violate the Voting Rights Act. So it’s important to acknowledge that while this is a massive win, there’s more work to do. President of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Benard Simelton said:
This decision proves that when we challenge injustice, we can make progress. Alabama must now draw fairer districts in Montgomery, but let’s be clear—leaving Huntsville untouched still denies many Black Alabamians their rightful representation. We celebrate this win while demanding the state finish the job and deliver maps that reflect the full power of our communities.
Please be very clear, the loss does not outweigh the win, but it’s also important to not ignore the bad outcome to feel better abou the good one.
Congrats Alabama! As someone who spends a lot of time looking at Alabama legislative races, this is sorely needed.
And shout out to The Alabama Reflector for their reporting on this story!
Minnesota
Thurs, Aug 21 - The MN AG Keith Ellison case against Glock will not be dismissed and is moving on to discovery, thanks to MN district Judge Christian Sande. Glock is a gun manufacterer with a semi automatic handgun that can be easily turned into an automatic and they know it. Glock tried to argue that the lawsuit violated their rights. Judge Sande was not moved:
it is reasonable to conclude that the inherent dangers stemming from the public’s improper use of Glock handguns are foreseeable to Defendants, thus giving rise to a duty to warn. And, as the duty to warn extends to improper usage of Defendants’ handguns, the State has sufficiently alleged at this stage that Defendants had a duty to warn the public of the dangers and illegality of converting their handguns to fully automatic machine guns.
Discovery will be interesting, it will likely require them to disclose their business practices, and that is exactly what they wanted to avoid.
AG Ellison released a statement on the ruling:
Glock has been sacrificing the safety of Minnesotans to turn a profit for too long. I am pleased the Court is allowing our lawsuit against Glock to move forward, and that it rejected Glock’s motion to dismiss in full. Today’s ruling puts us one step closer to ensuring Glock can no longer flood Minnesota with handguns that can easily be converted into illegal, fully automatic machine guns.
What a timely win. With the new horrendous mass shooting at a Minneanapolis school today, this is more important now than ever.
If you’re confused FOX 9 did a great segment on the ruling that clarified some things for me and will hopefully do the same for you.
Wyoming
Fri, Aug 22 - Regan Appointee, Judge Alan Johnson ruled, yet again, that Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Wyoming did not violate the law by admitting trans sister, Artemis Langford in 2022. In fact, the law really has no place in this at all:
Kappa's Bylaws and Standing Rules do not require Kappa to exclude transgender women. Ohio law explicitly authorizes organizations to govern themselves and interpret their own bylaws, and it does not permit this Court to interfere with such organizations' internal policy decisions unless they have broken their own bylaws or committed fraud or collusion. In short, we are required to leave Kappa alone.
Just to clarify any confusion, this is Wyoming, but the sorority HQ is in Ohio, so that’s why Ohio law matters.
The 6 sorority girls who filed the suit were really hopeful this time since Trump weighed in and hoped this could be a title IX violation, but Judge Johnson really doesn’t like that argument:
Plaintiffs do not present new evidence in their SAC, but they do argue a possible new authority: Executive Order 14168, issued this year, states that "women ... shall mean adult ... human females" and "female .. . means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell." We are not entirely sure what this definition means, not having a degree in biology. But even assuming this definition aligned with Plaintiffs', it only applies to the Executive Branch's interpretation of federal laws and administration policy. It is not relevant in the world of private contracts, which is where we currently find ourselves.
This might be my favorite quote from any of the three rulings I’ve read today. I mean “We are not entirely sure of what this definition means, not having a degree in biology” COME ON! You can just hear the snark.
Oh, and the other best part, he ruled with prejudice, meaning, they can appeal, but they can never bring situation back to him with this argument again.
And shout out to WyoFile on their reporting!
So not only are all three of these rulings wins, but these Judges standing up the way they did is a win too. Especially the fact that 2/3 of these are Republican Judges.
I hope this inspires you to fight back today!
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
YAY for judges standing in the gap, especially "R" appointed ones!!
All three of the items are great wins. Also the judge in the third item was wise to attach prejudice with it.