As Trump Changes the Law, Apps Keep Track
The Trump administration is without a doubt the most watched presidency in history. President Donald has already earned more prime time minutes, column inches, and radio coverage than any other public figure -- $817 million worth of free coverage in January alone, according to mediaQuant.
But it's not just the fourth estate that's tracking the Trump administration's every move. There are a host of online apps available for monitoring the Twitterer-in-Chief, focused on the legal changes the new regime is making. Here are the highlights.
1. The Cabinet Center for Administrative Transition
The legal tech guru Robert Ambrogi recently surveyed Trump-tracking apps for Above the Law and put this one on the top of his list -- for good reason. The Cabinet Center for Administrative Transition app is "probably the most sophisticated and comprehensive" of the new tracking services, according to Ambrogi.
CCAT, developed by Cadwalader, is a "curated repository of pronouncements, position papers, policy statements, and requirements as to legislative and regulatory change related to the financial service agenda of the President." It is a great go-to source for everything from executive orders to legislative news to regulatory tracking. And it's not just a repository. There's also a subscription version that lets you access Cadwalader's legal and compliance tools and regulatory database.
2. Track Trump
The Track Trump website is dedicated to monitoring just about everything during Trump's first 100 days. (Oh yes, we're still in the first 100. In fact, we're not even halfway through.) Backed by Y Combinator's Sam Altman and run in conjunction with the r/TrumpTracker subreddit, this website looks at concrete steps Trump has made to fulfill his "Contract With the American Voter." There's info on legislation, executive action, appointments, and even a daily timeline.
3. Trump Human Rights Tracker
A project of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, the Trump Human Rights Tracker looks to track the administration's actions effecting human rights. Sign up for email alerts and you'll be notified when the administration rolls back protections for transgender students, for example, or expands immigration enforcement. Updates come with a quick explanation, a list of potential human rights implications, and links to further resources.
4. Legal Resistance Websites, For Doing, Not Tracking
In addition to the sources identified by Ambrogi, there are also several websites devoted to organizing lawyers opposed to Trump's policies, specifically around immigration. Following the unprecedented response to Trump's executive order banning travelers and immigrants from seven majority-Muslim nations, which saw lawyers streaming to airports to represent detainees, tech savvy attorneys quickly launched services like AirportLawyer.org and ImmigrationJustice.us. These websites help connect worried travelers with volunteer attorneys and concerned lawyers with ways to respond to the new administration.
For those looking for a pro-Trump equivalent, there's none that we've found, but the administration, of course, is always hiring.
Related Resources:
- What Will Trump Mean for Technology, Intellectual Property Law? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Donald Trump Arrives on the Internet as a New Pokemon Character? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Flush With Donations, ACLU Teams up With Y Combinator (FindLaw's Technologist)