No Place for Political Violence

State leaders from both sides of the aisle are condemning all forms of political violence following the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk.

“We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was the target of an attempted kidnapping in 2020.

“Political violence has no place in America,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote. “It’s un-American, it undermines our democracy, and dishonors the sacrifices of those who came before us. We must stand together in rejecting violence and recommitting to civility, respect, and the rule of law.”

While rare, political violence is not a new phenomenon in America, and recent high-profile attacks have renewed concerns. Last year saw the attempted assassination of President Trump. Earlier this year, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and an arsonist attacked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence.

But as concerns grow, States United surveys continue to show that Americans broadly view it as a problem and reject it.

“From Minnesota to Utah, political violence has torn apart families and shaken our nation,” said Joanna Lydgate, States United’s president and CEO. “This is a moment to lead by example for the next generation—choosing empathy instead of anger, kindness instead of hate, and unity over division.”

This Week in Democracy

• Charlie Kirk, a prominent political activist, was shot and killed during an event at an Utah university. State leaders across the country from both sides of the aisle condemned the attack immediately.

  Kirk’s killing is “much bigger than an attack on an individual,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been, and who we could be in better times.”

  “No matter who you are or what you believe, there is never a place for violence in our politics,” said Joanna Lydgate, president and CEO of States United.

  ➡️ READ: Americans Widely Reject Political Violence

• President Trump’s takeover of D.C.’s police department ended, but National Guard troops and federal immigration authorities will remain.

  Following pushback from state and local leaders, the Trump administration backed off of its plans to send federal law enforcement to Chicago. The president said in an interview that he would send federal forces to Memphis, Tenn., next.

  ➡️ READ: What’s Breaking Through About National Guard Deployments

• The U.S. Supreme Court lifted an order that blocked federal immigration agents from conducting “roving patrols” in California. A lower court had blocked agents from doing so, based on evidence that agents were questioning people based on their race, the language they spoke, or where they worked.

  The Trump administration also ramped up immigration enforcement efforts in Boston and Chicago. State and local officials pushed back.

  “Once again, this isn’t about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination—yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on social media. “Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump Administration’s focused on scaring Illinoisians.”

  “We expect that federal law enforcement will abide by the Constitution and laws of this City, Commonwealth, and country, and we are prepared to take legal action at any evidence to the contrary,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

  ➡️ READ: Sharing the Facts About State and Local Authority to Set Public Safety & Law Enforcement Priorities

• Three former top FBI officials sued the Trump administration, claiming that they were fired as a part of a “campaign of retribution” against anyone who worked on cases involving Trump.

  “Patel not only acted unlawfully but deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people,” the officials wrote. They continued, saying that Patel’s decision “degraded the country’s national security by firing three of the FBI’s most experienced operational leaders, each of them experts in preventing terrorism and reducing violent crime.”

• The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case challenging Trump’s tariffs. The justices will hear the case in November.

  ➡️ READ: Sharing the Facts About the Limits of Presidential Power on Tariffs

State of the States

In California, a group of retired senior military officers and Vet Voice Foundation, a nonpartisan, veteran-led organization representing nearly two million veterans, filed a friend-of-the-court brief challenging Trump’s federalization of the National Guard and subsequent deployment of troops to Los Angeles. Represented by States United, the group warned that deploying troops domestically and without the consent of a state’s governor erodes the military’s apolitical reputation, risks moral injury to soldiers, and causes a loss of troop morale.

➡️ READ: More about the brief

In Maine, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows once again declined to share the private information of her state’s voters with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying in a statement that it “hasn’t shown any good reason for its fishing expedition for sensitive voter information.” Bellows refused the department’s first request for information in July.

“Their data demands appear to violate federal privacy laws and complying would put the privacy and data security of nearly 1 million Mainers at risk,” Bellows continued.

Maine is one of many states that have received such requests. Just this week, officials in Washington state received a similar request.

➡️ READ: What’s Breaking Through About the Justice Department’s Election Investigations

In Michigan, a judge dismissed criminal charges against 15 people charged in the 2020 “fake electors” scheme. Attorney General Dana Nessel first brought the case in 2023, charging the group with knowingly signing and submitting forged certificates in an effort to overturn the results of the presidential election in the state.

In Missouri, the state legislature approved a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts. The plan, which Trump advocated for, would give Republicans an advantage in seven of the state’s eight districts. (Republicans currently represent six of the districts.) The plan is likely to be challenged in court.

In North Carolina, the state’s election board settled a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department that sought to order state officials to re-verify some voters’ eligibility. The board began requesting updated information from voters in July; since then, more than 22,000 voters have been addressed.