Republican announces EMERGENCY amid SHOCK UPDATE

This is Democracy Watch, Mark. We have. one of the most corrupt announcements. from a Republican governor that I have. seen. Can you explain what just. happened? >> Yeah, the governor of Louisiana has. issued a state of emergency. I want to. put it up on the screen, okay? This is. on an official, you know, calligraphy. document from the state of Louisiana in. all caps, state of emergency. And you. know, you might think that it's because. there was a hurricane, you might think. there was a natural disaster, you might. think there was some civil unrest. No.

It is the suspension. of the party primary elections for the. offices of representatives in the United. States Congress. Brian, in plain. English, the governor of Louisiana has. declared a state of emergency for the. purposes of canceling the ongoing voting. in the state of Louisiana for US. Congress. Now, they're going to say this. is about redistricting and the court. order from the Supreme Court. But if.

anyone believes this ends in Louisiana, and if anyone believes this ends with. redistricting, you are kidding. yourselves. What have we been talking. about? We've been talking about Donald. Trump trying to declare a state of. emergency this November to try to cancel. the elections. He can't, but to try to. deploy ICE, to try to seize ballots, to. try to take over the vote counting. Right? Whatever it is, we've talked. about this, Brian, you and I, on and. off, and people have said we were crazy.

and we were alarmist. Well, here it is, taking place in Louisiana in the primary. elections. The Republicans no longer. like the rules that those elections are. taking place under. So, the governor, on. his own, stroke of the pen, says, "I'm. stopping the voting. If you cast. ballots, too bad." And let me just tell. you, Brian, we're not going to stand by. for this. My law firm and I, we've. already filed. a lawsuit here. There have been a. handful of other lawsuits filed, and we. are not going to allow Republicans to. say that when they don't like how voting.

is going, they're just going to call it. off by saying there is a state of. emergency. >> And I want to dig into the details of. this, but first, you know, you had. mentioned that your law firm is going to. intervene here. We have so few fighters. on the left, and and first of all, I. think you deserve all the credit in the. world, you and your team, uh for taking. on these fights. And I would just ask. everybody who's watching right now that. if you're not yet subscribed to. Democracy Docket, which is the news. outlet Mark founded to focus on. everything voting elections, just. subscribing is the perfect way to show. some support for the work that Mark and. his team are doing on a daily basis.

Again, uh not only so that uh you're. going to get accurate, timely news right. delivered right to your inbox, but also. to elevate the voice of somebody who. knows how to be a fighter, which is. absolutely necessary in this moment that. we're in right now. So, I'm going to put. that link right here on the screen, and. also in the post description of this. video. If you're not yet signed up, please go ahead and sign up. Mark, on. this point of of them declaring a state. of emergency, I think that what you said. is absolutely right, that it wasn't for. some natural disaster, wasn't for the. fact that, you know, God knows how many.

people are going without health care, without food assistance, but it's such a. state of emergency that these black. voters in Louisiana don't have black. representation, that this is what they. needed to do with all of the resources. that they have uh at their disposal in. the state government. >> Yeah, and Brian, let me let me ask you a. question. Is there any chance. that that governor that the governor. does this if Donald Trump's not in the. White House? Is there any chance that. that Could you imagine under Barack. Obama. if a Democratic governor decided to.

declare uh uh a state of emergency. because they wanted to redistrict? Could. you imagine if Barack Obama had declared. a state of emergency after the Obamacare. decision, and said, "You know what? Now. that there's this Obamacare decision, we. we think we should be able to. immediately, you know, implement it, or. do whatever it is." I mean, could you. imagine any Democratic governor, any. Democratic mayor, any Democratic. president getting away with the kind of. rhetoric that they're talking about. here. You know, the governor of. Louisiana could have said, "You know.

what? There's a new court decision, and. I'm going to ask the legislature come. into special session, and we're going to. hold a quick special session." But he. didn't do that. He declared a state of. emergency, and that's why I wanted. people to see the certificate because it. is clearly a dog whistle, or maybe not. even a dog whistle, to the right wing that he's on the. program that when it comes to, you know, canceling elections or or halting. voting, he's going to use the stroke of. a pen. to do extreme things. And and I just.

want to ask you, Brian, whether you. agree with me on that. >> Yeah, I I I mean, look, a 100% I think. that this party is all bought in on this. idea that they can't win on on. governance, they can't win on their. agenda, they can't win on their. popularity. And so right now, they're. recognizing that the only way to. entrench their own power is to take. these extrajudicial measures, anti-democratic measures, and just. reward themselves with with, you know, by by engineering themselves majorities. in these seats because God forbid they.

actually go to the voters. And of. course, they they again, they won't be. able to because right now the agenda. that they're running on is giving blind. deference to a guy who has plunged the. US into another war in the Middle East, who has stripped healthcare away from 17. million Americans who rely on Medicaid, 24 million Americans who rely on ACA, you know, food assistance to the tune of. 186 billion dollars, prices on. everything have risen right now thanks. to Trump's trade war. We have the. Epstein files that are being covered up. by this federal government. And so and.

and finally, we have gas prices that are. at an almost record high. And so of. course, this federal government, of. course, this Republican party isn't. looking to run on their agenda because. they can't, they would lose. And so. instead, they're just taking this action. where they just decide to reward. themselves again with seats that they've. drawn for themselves to entrench their. own majorities. >> Right. And as I said before, look, they. could have done this by waiting for the. Supreme Court to send its mandate down. to the lower court. They could have then. gone to the lower court and sought an.

injunction or some sort of relief. They. could have called a special session. But the governor, I believe, wanted the. aesthetic, wanted the appearance of. being a strong man. >> Right. >> You know, it wanted to do the things. that Donald Trump wants to see done. You. know, kind of like the indictment of. James Comey over Seychelles. You right? I mean, the idea that a governor issues. a formal proclamation declaring a state. of emergency and then puts in all caps. suspension of elections?

>> Yeah. >> I mean, if this was another country, we. would be talking about this like, you. know, like. >> republic. >> A banana republic. And here it is. But I. think it is intentional because it is. trying to desensitize. >> Right. >> the American public and incite among the. MAGA faithful this idea that, you know, if elections aren't going the way you. like it, you know, don't worry about. Congress, don't worry about. legislatures, don't worry about courts, just declare a unilateral state of. emergency. >> So, in this instance, is it that the.

primaries are going to go on as. scheduled for all other races that are. not congressional races? So, they're. going to have two election cycles here. because they're just that hell-bent on. making sure that they can. redraw their congressional maps. um and uh and eliminate minority. representation? >> Yeah, that's what they have in mind. I. mean, they they you know, they but it's. but it's worse than that because, like I. said, though the election uh formally is. not until May 16th, military and. overseas voters have already received.

their mail-in ballots and they've. already cast them in many instances. So, you know, for a party that is very. concerned about our men and women in. uniform overseas, they are the ones who. are going to be disenfranchised most by. this declaration of state of emergency. Cuz if you are a if you're a sailor on a. ship in the in you know. in the middle of. you know the the the Persian Gulf or or. the Strait of Hormuz or the. Mediterranean. Sea and you manage to cast a ballot, that ballot's now going to get thrown in. the trash if they get along with it get.

away with this. And you're going to be. told that you have to vote again and who. knows if you're going to be able to. So, you know, the the irony here is that. this state of emergency is not just. going to victimize minority communities, but it's also most direct impact in the. suspension of the election, the. cancellation of these ballots, the most. impacted and the disenfranchised are. going to be our our men and women in. uniform overseas and and other overseas. voters. And it just goes to show the.

hypocrisy. But here's the thing, like I. said, we're already in court. There are. several others already in court trying. to block this, both we're in state court. along with several others, there's a. federal court case. And let's wait and. see what happens. I mean, let's wait and. see whether the courts, who are. constantly saying you can't have chaos, can't have election changes on the eve. of elections, let's see. what they do here. >> You know, in in to that point, you and I. have had God knows how many discussions. about the Purcell doctrine, this idea. that changes too close to an election. would be too chaotic, would be a cause.

too much confusion and so we have to. wait until after the election to. actually put into effect any of these. changes. What recourse is there if you have. a. federal court or even a state court that. might have relied on Purcell when it. comes to changing illegal Republican. maps, but then decide, "Okay, we have, you know, ballots that are already being. cast in in the election that is. happening right now, the primary. election that's happening right now, but.

Purcell doesn't apply here." Like there. will be if if they decide if the courts. decide federal court decides that. there's no that Purcell does not apply. or even state court decides that Purcell. doesn't apply, but they previously ruled. that Purcell applies when it benefits. Republicans, is there any remedy in in that case or. are courts just allowed to be. hypocritical and give different rulings. based on which political party it might. benefit? >> Look, I think you put your finger on it. and there needs to be a big bright. spotlight right now on the courts on.

this very topic because Brian, what. you're talking about is not a. hypothetical, it is a reality. We won a. case in Louisiana involving. congressional districts in 2022 that was. put on hold. way in advance of where we are now. >> Yeah, I was going to say, well, what. what month would that have been roughly? >> I I I you know, I don't remember off the. top of my head which month it was, but. it was not while voting was going on and. we were told it was too late. And the. same thing happened in in Alabama. You. know, same thing happened in Alabama. We. won in Alabama and told, you know, it's. too late. I think that in Alabama it was. January that we won the case and we were.

told it was too late. Remember in Texas, remember in Texas, they were saying. Purcell kicked in in like in like. October, I think. >> Right. Right. It was the it was like a. full year before, yeah. >> Yeah, I mean, so like this is this is. quite extraordinary that here we are in. the middle of voting in this state and. we're waiting to see if the courts say. this is okay or not, but in the. meantime, the governor of the state is. just saying, you know what? Screw all of you. I'm just doing this by. myself. I'm just going to break out that. fancy letterhead with that ornate seal.

and I'm just going to issue a. proclamation declaring a state of. emergency as if, you know, some natural. disaster hit the state. And and look, Brian, you are covering this on your. channel and it's why I'm here and it's. why I tell people to always subscribe to. your channel because it's one of the. most effective ways to get these. messages out to people. I mean, you've. got a huge audience and I hope it keeps. growing and I hope everybody who's. already subscribed tells seven friends. to subscribe and shares this video. I. hope if you haven't already subscribed,

you do it now and you hit the bell to. make sure you are alerted when there's. new content. Because the legacy media is. nowhere on this. Like sure, they're. reporting that like he declared a state. of emergency, suspended the voting, and. now there are lawsuits. But where is the. outrage? Where is the pointing out the. utter hypocrisy? And where is pointing. out the danger of authoritarianism? That. if we start to allow Republican. officials now to decide as voting is. going on that they're going to cancel. elections. Like where does that end, Brian? Where. do you think that ends? This fall.

>> Yeah, I mean I I I I completely agree. And so it's worth asking here. because I feel like when we see these. court cases from the outside, it's hard. not to become cynical or jaded. But does. it count for anything when you can tell. the same court or the same judges who. once ruled just a few years back that, you know, a case happening. 11 months before an election was was. going to be impacted by Purcell, but.

that if it doesn't happen, you know, for. a case 6 months before an election, does. that count for these judges? Is that not. a smoking gun? Like when you have. precedent from these judges themselves. in the same exact court in the same. exact state where they said in plain. black and white that Purcell would kick. in if it was in January, that how could. those same people say that, okay, if. it's in May or June that Purcell. couldn't kick in? Is does that count for. anything these days or are we in just a.

post-shame world where, you know, so. long as it benefits their ideological. uh ideologically aligned party, then. they're just going to let it slide and. there's no more there's no more. consistency in their rulings? >> Look, I think you know the answer to. that, and I know the answer to that. But. we cannot allow ourselves to become. victims of paralysis as a result. We. have to insist that the courts do the. right thing. We have to insist they. follow precedent. That's why my law firm. is in court. That's why we are filing, you know,

pleadings all day and night including. into the weekend because we are. insisting that the rule of law be. applied equally to everybody. And does. anyone really doubt that if the shoe. were on the other foot. that the Supreme Court would say it's. too late? I mean, just just imagine for. a moment that that this was a case in. California. And, you know, Gavin Newsom. was sitting there saying, "You know. what? We just won a case and we want to. you know, zero out every Republican. You. know, we're just going to we're just. going to wipe out the remaining. Republicans in the state. And we're.

going to do it while early voting or. after military and overseas ballots have. gone out." And the Republican Party went. to the Supreme Court or went to a. federal judge. Um. does anyone really think that like Gavin. Newsom wouldn't lose that case? I mean, like like like it wouldn't like. what would that what would that even. look like, right? And so, yeah, we have. to insist the same standard applies. But. we also have to be realistic about what. we're up against. So, that's that's what. I try to do every day. >> Well, look, I I think I think you know, and and you and I have had conversations.

similar to this one. offline as well. And and you know, you're very good at instilling a sense. of optimism in the sense that, you know, the arguments that you make in front of. these judges, even ones who I think most. of us would assume were already. already bought in on the Republican. agenda, that the arguments you make. still have an impact. And and you know, the reality is that you have won a hell. of a lot more cases in front of judges. who presumably you should have lost. those cases in front of than I think. anybody else. And so, if anybody.

understands the importance of of making. persuasive arguments. in in cases where I think a lot of. people would have written this stuff. off, it's you. And so, you know, to that. end, again, I'm going to repeat what I. said before, which is that Mark is. litigating nearly a hundred cases right. now. often times in front of hostile judges. in hostile. courtrooms uh, all across the country. Um, so again, a step that everybody. should be taking right now to support. his work and elevating his voice and. elevating fighters is to subscribe to.

Democracy Docket. So, I'm going to put. that link right here on the screen and. also in the post description of this. video. As soon as we're done with this. video, make sure to click on that and go. ahead and subscribe. I'm Brian Tyler. Cohen. >> I'm Mark Elias. >> This is Democracy Watch.