The Standing Record

This is the Standing Record for August 27, 2026. We recorded 1 event from August 26, 2026 that erode our democratic ideals and added 15 more from earlier dates — 443 so far this month, bringing the total archive to 1835. If you saw something happen — yesterday, or any other day — that belongs here, send it to our tip line.

MS NOW investigation reveals troops were ordered to carry out Iran and boat strikes they say violate international law

Event: August 26, 2026 Location: Washington, D.C. Jurisdiction: Federal Abuses: Extrajudicial actions

In an investigation published August 26, 2026, MS NOW reported that multiple U.S. service members described being ordered to carry out military strikes they believe violate international law, including strikes on Iranian infrastructure they said were not military targets and strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats without confirming who was aboard. The service members, who spoke anonymously to protect pending conscientious-objector applications, said the Center on Conscience and War has seen conscientious-objector applications rise sixfold since the U.S. war with Iran began in February 2026 -- the sharpest increase the group has recorded in 25 years.

People & Organizations: - U.S. Department of Defense#5a8710f3 (issuing the orders) - Pete Hegseth#323f4d31 (Secretary of Defense)

Read the full entry: https://standingrecord.com/entries/2026/08/26/federal-extrajudicial-actions-f9ee0e1b/ Primary source: Troops fighting against Iran and drug smugglers say they're being asked to violate international law

Filling out the archive

We're steadily backfilling the archive — working backward through the record so the timeline is complete, not just current. These are older events we archived yesterday. If you know of something from months or years back that belongs here, send it to our tip line.

• March 31, 2025 — Ohio Gov. DeWine signed transportation-budget rider requiring BMV proof of citizenship to register to vote
• September 16, 2025 — DOJ sued Oregon to compel release of unredacted, sensitive voter roll data
• January 24, 2026 — University of Arkansas at Little Rock scrubbed two race-focused history lectures from its website citing state law
• January 24, 2026 — AG Bondi demanded Minnesota turn over voter rolls, Medicaid/SNAP data, end sanctuary policies amid deadly ICE crackdown
• May 14, 2026 — Secret Service, Trump White House barred JD Vance critic from Bangor event over her online criticism, lawsuit alleges
• June 29, 2026 — Florida International University disciplined seven students with reprimands and compelled 'reflection' videos over silent anti-ICE protest
• August 21, 2026 — Polk County deputies and ICE detained injured Ecuadorian mother and daughter at Florida hospital, refusing to show a warrant
• August 24, 2026 — U.S. Air Force charged Maj. Jason Watson with Article 88 contemptuous-words violations over his public criticism of Trump
• August 25, 2026 — Reporting revealed State Department had paused immigrant-visa interviews worldwide since early August
• August 25, 2026 — DOJ sued Franklin County Municipal Court to strike down its ban on warrantless ICE arrests at the courthouse
• August 25, 2026 — DHS requested a contractor to collect voter registration and history files from all 50 states annually for ICE fraud detection
• August 25, 2026 — Injustice Watch investigation found Illinois police and sheriffs circumvented TRUST Act to help ICE detain, deport immigrants
• August 25, 2026 — Injustice Watch/WIRED investigation found Illinois state's attorneys shared residents' personal data with ICE despite TRUST Act
• August 25, 2026 — Mamdani administration continued to miss NYC's charter-mandated racial equity plan deadline, judge found
• August 25, 2026 — Nevada Independent investigation revealed Clark County School District police tapped into Flock license-plate-reader network

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