The U.S. Supreme Court Friday greenlit a flawed Trump administration database for purging voters from the rolls. And plenty of major news outlets were eager to downplay the decision's importance.

Early voting had been countywide and saw record Democratic turnout, but the switch to precinct-only locations left many voters showing up at the wrong spot and being turned away.

Legal groups swiftly denounced the department's latest attempt to avoid oversight.

The obvious lesson many are drawing is that ordinary citizens are more reliable protectors of democracy than judges in black robes.