Urbana will host a "NO KINGS" on June 14, part of a national day of protest against authoritarianism. Organizers say the protests aim to defend democratic values on Flag Day.
Editor's Note:
We just learned there will be only one rally on June 14 in Urbana, starting at 4pm. Originally, this story, as left intact below, noted there would be two separate protests. URBANA - Two “NO KINGS” rallies are planned in Urbana on June 14, Flag Day, as part of a nationwide protest timed to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.
Photo: Vivien/Pixabay
The first rally will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Meadowbrook Park, 2808 S. Race St., and is one of more than a dozen events scheduled in downstate Illinois to denounce what organizers describe as a growing threat of authoritarianism in American politics.
“In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings,” reads the event description. “NO KINGS is a national day of action in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies.”
The day of action continues from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Champaign County Courthouse in downtown Urbana. That protest is organized by Champaign County Indivisible, 50501 Illinois, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation - Central Illinois. Organizers are encouraging participants to bring signs, water, and a shared commitment to democratic values.
“Bring a desire to maintain our democracy,” reads the event post. “We already fought one war to oust a king. The United States does NOT HAVE A KING!!”
After the courthouse protest, a free community dinner will be served at 6 p.m. at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center in Lincoln Square Mall, sponsored by the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
June 14 holds multiple historical ties. It is officially recognized as Flag Day in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the national flag in 1777. The date also marks the death of Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold, 224 years ago. Despite President Trump’s participation in Army birthday celebrations in Washington, which will include a parade and fireworks, the Army told Reuters it has no official plans to recognize the president’s birthday during the observance.
Organizers of the NO KINGS events say they are responding to what they view as attacks on free speech, judicial independence, and democratic institutions. The coordinated rallies seek to affirm public opposition to executive overreach and political repression.
Here is a list of additional NO KINGS protest in downstate:
NO KINGS Quad Cities IL/IA Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 101 17th St, Rock Island, IL June 14, 1 PM - 3 PM CDT Hosted by Indivisible QC https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/790829/
NO KINGS Macomb, Illinois Macomb, IL June 14 Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/786088/
NO KINGS Ottawa, IL Ottawa, IL June 14 Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/790175/
NO KINGS Yorkville North Bridge Street N Bridge St, Yorkville, IL June 14 11AM – 3PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/792577/
NO KINGS Springfield, IL 401 S 2nd St, Springfield, IL June 14 11AM – 3PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/792965/
NO KINGS Bloomington, IL 600 N East St, Bloomington, IL June 14 12PM – 1PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/793601/
NO KINGS Ogle County Ogle County Circuit Clerk, 106 S 5th St, Oregon, IL June 14, 3 PM - 5 PM CDT Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/791484/
NO KINGS MASS PROTEST: ST LOUIS MARCH for DEMOCRACY Kiener Plaza, Downtown St. Louis, MO June 14, 2 PM - 5 PM CDT Hosted by 50501 and Show Me Action https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/793460/
NO KINGS - South County St. Louis Intersection of S. Lindbergh and Baptist Church, 5330 S Lindbergh Blvd, Sappington, MO June 14, 11 AM - 1 PM CDT Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/784867/
NO KINGS : Southern Illinois Carbondale Civic Center, 200 N Illinois Ave, Carbondale, IL June 14, 1 PM - 3 PM CDT Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/787389/
NO KINGS Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau, MO June 14 Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/786583/
NO KINGS Macoupin County Courthouse - Carlinville, IL Macoupin County Courthouse, 201 E Main St, Carlinville, IL 62626 June 14 2PM – 4PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/793360/
NO KINGS Belleville, IL Downtown Belleville around the Square Fountain, 10 Public Square, Belleville, IL 62220 June 14 2PM – 4PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/789609/
Alton People's United Lovejoy Monument, 1205 E 5th St, Alton, IL 62002 June 14 10AM – 12PM Volunteer organized https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/791555/
Lower courts ruled downstate Republican representative Bost lacked standing to sue. It’s not clear when the nation’s high court will hear Bost’s case. The court is scheduled to begin hearing oral arguments in October.
by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal on a lawsuit led by Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost challenging Illinois’ mail-in voting law.
Bost and a pair of Illinois primary delegates for President Donald Trump sued the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2022, arguing that the state’s law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day violates the federal law establishing an “Election Day.” Both a lower federal trial court and federal appeals court have ruled Bost lacked standing to sue.
The Supreme Court said its ruling will focus on whether Bost, of Murphysboro, in his role as a political candidate has legal grounds to sue over a state’s election law, rather than if Illinois’ mail-in voting law is legal, because the appeal challenges lower court rulings that Bost did not legal grounds to sue.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Peter Hancock
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, a Murphysboro Republican, speaks to reporters in Milwaukee following an event with Illinois Republicans during the Republican National Convention in July 2024.
A favorable ruling for Bost by the Supreme Court could force lower courts to issue a ruling about Illinois’ law.
“With the American people’s confidence in our elections at a discouraging low point, it’s more important than ever we work to restore their trust,” Bost said in a statement. “I believe a big part of that effort is ensuring all votes are tallied by Election Day, not days or weeks later. I am thankful the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear my appeal of Illinois’ election law.”
Judicial Watch argues costs for campaigns to monitor ballot counting beyond Election Day constitute harm to candidates for public office that must be addressed by the court.
It’s not clear when the nation’s high court will hear Bost’s case. The court is scheduled to begin hearing oral arguments in October.
Under Illinois law, ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted as late as 14 days after the election as they arrive at local election offices. Bost’s case argues this violates the federal law establishing Election Day by allowing votes to arrive and be counted for two weeks after the polls close.
After the unfavorable lower court rulings, Judicial Watch kept the fight going to the U.S. Supreme Court after appealing in November. The conservative legal group cited conflicting rulings on mail-in voting in other states and said Bost’s case is “an ideal vehicle” for the nation’s high court to decide whether ballots can be counted after Election Day.
The filing cited numerous cases from 2020 challenging election laws and outcomes, some of which Judicial Watch was a part of, in efforts to block the counting of mail-in ballots.
“It is an injustice that the courts would deny a federal candidate the ability to challenge an election provision that could lead to illegal votes being cast and counted for two weeks after Election Day,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.
Judicial Watch argues costs for campaigns to monitor ballot counting beyond Election Day constitute harm to candidates for public office that must be addressed by the court. But the Illinois State Board of Elections via the attorney general’s office argued Judicial Watch fails to show Bost negatively suffered because of Illinois’ law, and Bost’s case would not be the right case for the court to use to review mail-in voting laws.
Winning elections has not been a problem for Bost.
“Petitioners have never advanced any allegations that Illinois’s ballot receipt deadline might materially impact their likelihood of prevailing in any election,” the board argued.
In a response filing to the board’s request for the court to dismiss the case, Judicial Watch argued the Board of Elections has warned ahead of elections that apparent leads in vote totals can change as late-arriving ballots are counted, meaning election results can change negatively for Bost.
But the State Board of Elections argued Illinois’ mail-in voting law doesn’t directly regulate candidates.
“Illinois’s ballot receipt deadline does not regulate petitioners directly as political candidates; it simply recognizes the reality that ballots cast by mail may be delayed,” the board argued.
Winning elections has not been a problem for Bost. He has represented the 12th Congressional District in southern Illinois since 2015 and was reelected in 2024 with nearly 75% of the vote. His district did change slightly in redistricting after the 2020 census.
Judicial Watch said it worried “illegal votes could diminish his margin of victory” and make it appear that he is growing more unpopular with his constituents. The organization also argued Bost filed this case to preemptively correct perceived issues with the vote by mail law.
Republicans in Illinois and at the national level embraced mail-in voting in the 2024 election cycle after pushing back against it in recent years. The Illinois Republican Party joined the Republican National Committee’s “bank your vote” initiative, which encouraged reliable Republican voters to vote early or by mail so campaign resources could be focused on turning out people who were on the fence about voting or who were undecided.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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