Federal speech restrictions expanded to contractors and grant recipients beyond universities — conditioning billions in federal funds on ideological compliance with administration speech directives.

DOJ expanded FOIA exemption claims for executive-branch records tied to political appointees — lengthening backlogs documented on FOIA.gov and delaying public release of investigation materials.

Justice Department halted remaining Voting Rights Act Section 2 pattern-or-practice investigations in Georgia, Texas, and Arizona — dismantling the federal government's last active voting-rights enforcement tool ahead of the 2026 redistricting cycle.

32 states introduced 127 bills restricting voting access, including limits on mail ballot drop boxes, shortened early voting, and expanded voter roll purges.