Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education, and regulatory engagement.
In towns and cities across America, we provide legal representation and expert counsel to the people and communities who make up the very fabric of American democracy — free of charge.
Our strategic pillars incorporate immediate defensive needs and a longer-term, proactive view in this fight for our democracy, our present, and our future.
We defend democracy and policies that propel progress through regulatory and legal support.
We disrupt unlawful, regressive, and anti-democratic activity through litigation, investigations, and public education.
We build coalitions and support communities, creating a more democratic and just future through the law.
From local school boards to the halls of Congress, extreme anti-democratic movements are working to seize political power and roll back our rights. Today, the courts are not just the last line of defense for democracy — they are the frontline battleground. At this critical moment, when those responsible for the violent insurrection on January 6 have returned to power, we must use the law to defend our democracy and build a better future.
By harnessing our collective power and the law, we hold anti-democratic actors accountable. We leverage creativity, legal excellence, and a unique mix of expertise and diverse experience in service of an unyielding determination to make our future better than our past.
Our talented and diverse team consists of lawyers, policy experts, researchers, communications specialists, and operations professionals with deep experience and leadership in government, top-notch private law firms, and non-profit institutions.
Meet the teamIn the wake of the 2016 election, it was clear that the number and severity of threats to democracy, social progress, and the rule of law would be unprecedented. So a dedicated and spirited group of people left coveted jobs and beloved colleagues to build something new: Democracy Forward.
We created an innovative legal team that took the Trump administration to court more than 100 times, successfully challenging bad actors and their unlawful policies, shutting down corrupt committees created for special interests, and exposing unfair policies that stripped vulnerable communities of crucial protections.
On January 6, violent rioters and insurrectionists executed a planned siege on our nation’s Capitol. Beyond that horrific day—in statehouses, courtrooms, and communities across the country—we continued to see an increase in threats to democracy and the wellbeing of people in America.
More than 100 of the country’s leading political scientists declared that “our entire democracy is at risk,” given the movement in many state legislatures. A highly resourced and coordinated group of far-right legal organizations continued to engage in their multi-decade campaign to roll back the rights of the American people and undermine our basic democratic institutions. Democracy Forward dramatically expanded its state work to respond to these threats against people and communities.
Project 2025’s 900+ page “Mandate for Leadership” is released, a systemic, ruthless plan to undermine the quality of life of millions of Americans, remove critical protections and dismantle programs for communities across the nation, and prioritize special interests and ideological extremism over people. So Democracy Forward got to work, mapping out what a litigation response could be to protect against its threats.
The 2024 election exposed dangerous rifts in people’s understanding of the pillars of our democracy, and what it would take to protect them. Democracy Forward launched two coalitions to leverage the diversity of talent and expertise across the pro-democracy movement: Democracy 2025, a first-of-its-kind national hub built to coordinate pro-democracy litigation and strategy, and Civil Service Strong, a broad coalition of civil society institutions and organizations joining together in support of our civil servants.
With the figures who were responsible for January 6, as well as those who authored Project 2025, returned to power at the national level, our team at Democracy Forward once again committed to defending our democracy. Through aggressive litigation, policy, investigative, and communications strategies, we are meeting this administration every day to protect people in America from a rapidly accelerating autocratic power grab.
We do not underestimate the gravity of the threat to our democracy, but neither should anyone underestimate our commitment, or that of the American people, to defending our democracy from anyone who wishes to harm it. Despite these challenges, we know the American people can and will keep fighting for democracy.
Support our workDemocracy Forward and our leadership have been recognized by national organizations, industry leaders, and media organizations for our excellence in delivering visionary work on behalf of people and communities.
Learn moreWe have represented and partnered with over 600+ organizations, institutions, and municipalities in legal matters to advance democracy and propel social progress. The broad and diverse range of clients and partners we’ve worked with reflect the very fabric of our country and our democracy
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