The U.S. Department of Justice has quietly taken a major step toward reshaping how it handles fraud cases that involve taxpayer money, and the decision is making waves in legal and government-contracting circles. At the heart of the move is a simple but powerful idea: the government should be clear, consistent, and fair when deciding which whistleblower lawsuits to push forward and which to leave by the wayside. For decades, the False Claims Act—often called the “Lincoln Law” because it traces its roots to Civil War-era efforts to stop contractors from swindling the Union Army—has allowed everyday citizens, known as…

It happens every single cycle, like clockwork. The leaves begin to turn, the political ads start flooding television screens, and almost immediately, the whispers begin. A neighbor posts a screenshot on Facebook claiming that if you vote by mail, your ballot won’t actually be counted. A forwarded text message warns that IDs are required when they aren’t. A flyer appears under a windshield wiper with a list of dates that are completely wrong. Whether these falsehoods come from a misguided fear, a simple typo, or a deliberate attempt to sow chaos, the result is the same: confusion, distrust, and a…