Who This Is For

Elected officials, candidates, legislative staff, and state and local government employees navigating institutional pressure from federal authorities, navigating the threat of retribution, and working to defend democratic institutions under strain.

Emergency Reference

If the federal government threatens to withhold funding from your state or city: Contact your state AG office and constitutional law counsel. See: Separation of Powers Violations — Trump Administration (2025–2026).

If you are targeted with a federal investigation you believe is retaliatory: Do not speak to investigators without counsel. Federal criminal defense attorney first — contact NLG or NACDL (nacdl.org).

Anti-commandeering doctrine: The federal government cannot compel state and local officials to enforce federal law. See Civilian Institutional Resistance to Authoritarian Takeover.

Learning Sequence

Step 1: Institutional Resistance Framework

Read: Civilian Institutional Resistance to Authoritarian Takeover

How government employees, elected officials, and institutions can resist authoritarian capture while remaining within the law. The anti-commandeering doctrine, state sovereignty, and the legal basis for institutional non-compliance with unconstitutional federal directives.

Step 2: Separation of Powers — The Current Landscape

Read: Separation of Powers Violations — Trump Administration (2025–2026)

Documented violations of the separation of powers principle by the Trump administration: illegal impoundment of appropriated funds, closure of agencies established by Congress, defiance of court orders. Essential context for any elected official assessing federal overreach.

Step 3: State Sovereignty and Federalism

Read: CONTEXT: Defending State Sovereignty Against Federal Overreach

Strategic context for state officials: how to defend state sovereignty against federal overreach, the legal framework for sanctuary policies, and how to assess which federal directives are legally binding vs. coercive but non-binding.

Step 4: The Federal Capture Scenario

Read: Resistance Playbook: When Federal Agencies Become Authoritarian (Part I: Understanding the Crisis)

When traditional checks and balances fail simultaneously: what the complete federal capture scenario looks like, what it means for state and local officials, and what levers remain available.

Step 5: Scenario Planning

Read: Democratic Collapse Scenario Planning and Survival Guide

Structured scenario analysis of democratic erosion pathways and survival options. Useful for understanding what is likely to happen under different conditions and how to position institutionally.

Step 6: Who Bends and Who Stands

Read: Retribution, Capitulation, and Resistance: Who Bends and Who Stands

Analysis of which actors capitulate to authoritarian pressure, which resist, and the factors that determine the difference. Essential for coalitional thinking and assessing which partners will hold.

Step 7: Digital Infrastructure and Continuity

Read: Scenario Planning: Digital Infrastructure Futures

Scenario planning for digital infrastructure futures: what happens to information flows, communication systems, and government digital infrastructure under different political scenarios.

Key Reference Documents

Related Use-Case Playbooks

• Organizing a Resistance Group — building coalitions under pressure
• Responding to Federal Harassment — if targeted by federal action
• Truth and Reconciliation Archiving — documenting for future accountability