Publications
The Impact of DOGE’s Federal Workforce Cuts
In the weeks following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has launched an unprecedented assault on the federal workforce. Working with unelected billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the newly-created “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), the administration has fired thousands of federal workers. Trump terminated these workers with no warning and through chaotic…
Read MoreTalking Points for Fighting Fascism
This is the first in a series of urgent updates–Talking Points for Fighting Fascism–from The Wren Collective tracking the rapid erosion of democratic norms under President Trump’s second term. It is clear that the Trump administration is trying to overwhelm Americans, but fighting back requires keeping abreast of what is happening and then communicating the…
Read MoreState Sovereignty Under Siege
For decades, conservatives championed the idea that power should remain with states and local governments. But Trump’s latest actions tell a different story: one where the federal government overrides local decision-making to serve his personal and political interests. From blocking New York’s congestion pricing plan to interfering with California’s water management, his administration is aggressively…
Read MoreSoldiers at Our Borders, Agents on Our Streets: The Fight for Immigrants’ Rights Is a Fight for Democracy
As of today, the fate of the approximately 11 million undocumented people in this country hangs in the balance. The Trump administration is currently playing coy after details leaked about its original plan to start conducting mass deportation raids across the country as early as this past Tuesday. But the only uncertainty now is when,…
Read MoreNot Just Trump: Fights For Democracy Are Happening Across The Country
We’ve been quiet these last few weeks. Many have offered their analyses for this country’s tremendous voter swings as well their predictions about what is to come under a second Trump presidency. We wanted to make sure we had something additive, and so we refrained from piling it on further with our own hot take.…
Read MoreGideon Turns 60: Harris County, TX
In “Death by Design” Parts 1 and 2, Wren investigated the state of court-appointed capital representation in Harris County—the death penalty capital of the world. The first report delves into the failings of the lawyers in capital cases. The second report examines why that poor representation has thrived, and the ways that the judges overseeing…
Read MoreGideon Turns 60: Schuylkill County, PA
In “Under-resourced And Ignored: Indigent Defense in Schuylkill County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The report found major deficiencies, which are likely replicated across rural Pennsylvania and rural America. The report calls for Schuylkill County to provide funding to its public defender office so that it can meet its constitutional obligations. Wren…
Read MoreGideon Turns 60: Gwinnett County, GA
In “Restoring and Rebuilding: Indigent Defense in Gwinnett County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The report found that lawyers have excessive caseloads that prevent them from providing effective representation. Wren recommends that the county establish a central Indigent Defense Office that will assist the county with attorney recruitment and retention, ongoing county-sponsored…
Read MoreGideon Turns 60: Nueces County, TX
In “Sixty Years After Gideon: Indigent Defense in Nueces County,” Wren investigated indigent defense in Nueces County, Texas. The report found major problems with the County’s appointed attorney system. Court appointed lawyers are paid meager flat fees for cases at a rate so low lawyers cannot possibly do meaningful work for their clients. Wren recommends first…
Read MoreAttacks On Our Climate Are Attacks On Our Democracy
In this installment, we will focus on the anti-democratic campaign to undermine the fight against climate change. From the fossil fuel industry pushing to criminalize free speech, to officials using climate disasters to block voter registration, to Project 2025’s clear plans for a “whole-of-government unwinding” of the environmental administrative state, we can see the link between the…
Read More