Something I love about @statecourtreport.org's series on state constitutions is how unique each state's history really is. Rhode Island Justice Melissa Long's new essay is fascinating. Did you know RI was governed by its Royal Charter until the mid-19th century?! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

New: Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee accused Justin Smith, one of President Trump's personal attorneys, of being a loyalist who has refused to acknowledge Trump's 2020 election ‌loss to Joe Biden even after being nominated to an appellate court judgeship. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

See you at @sxswedu.com!

This is quite a lot of money.

What state constitutional case from 2025 should our readers know about, and why? We asked some of the country’s leading legal thinkers, and their answers highlight the myriad ways state courts can chart their own jurisprudential courses. A must read piece to wrap up the year!

Love this Q&A by @kendallverhovek.bsky.social

Welcome to the final weekday of the federal judiciary being able to fully sustain paid operations during the shutdown. Furloughs likely next week.

There’s the Booker Prize, the Pulitzer … then there’s your book being used as punishment in a voter fraud case! A Michigan woman who voted for Trump twice has to read Thank You for Voting as part of her plea deal. www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/i...

A good thing for increasing voter turnout for county and town elections.

I'm very excited about this panel @sxswedu.com! This group has so much to share about how how state constitutions protect and empower young people.

👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 @lawrencehurley.bsky.social for this important story.

Have you voted yet for our @statecourtreport.org SXSW EDU (proposed) panel? We've lined up an all-star group: @lwvus.bsky.social CEO Celina Stewart, @aclu.org's Harper Seldin, and @youthvgov.bsky.social's Julia Olson. But we need your vote! THANK YOU FOR VOTING! participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

ICYMI: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein spoke with @statecourtreport.org's @erings.bsky.social about disability rights and his experience as the court's first blind justice. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Why did I write about state court pushback to the Dred Scott decision? Because President Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order directly cited the Dred Scott decision when he took aim at birthright citizenship. And we could see state courts pushback against the Supreme Court again. I'll explain. /1

NEW: Check out @erings.bsky.social's interview with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, the state's first blind justice, where they discussed his serving as a supreme court justice with a disability, the importance of empathy, advice he wished he’d gotten as a law student, and more.

The U.S. government is building a sweeping digital surveillance dragnet that turns social media into a tool for monitoring, screening, and enforcement. A single post can follow someone from abroad, at the border, and into every stage of life on U.S. soil. 1/9 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Today at 3: Watch @brennancenter.org @statecourtreport.bsky.social panel with all-star education experts discussing this case and other Trump administration education actions, and how states can respond. RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

Seems like a good time to mention @brennancenter.org and @statecourtreport.bsky.social are hosting a free virtual event tomorrow on how states are handling the roller coaster of education cuts and changes. Excellent panelists! RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

BREAKING: The Wisconsin Supreme Court said today that an 1849 ‘zombie’ law does not ban abortions, contrary to arguments by state Republicans. During oral arguments, one justice said attempts to apply the 175-year-old law in the present day was a sign of "a world gone mad."

Today SCOTUS limited the scope of court orders (called injunctions) blocking Trump’s birthright citizenship order. To be clear, Trump's order is plainly unconstitutional & courts continue to have the power to stop its enforcement. /1

Thank You for Voting came out five years ago today.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring Trump to return control of the National Guard to CA Governor Newsom. The order is accompanied by a powerful opinion that affirms the rule of law, separation of powers, and the First Amendment. 1/23

Congrats to the team at Borgo, which is brand new but manages to feel like it’s been open forever. An absolute stand out in NYC.

I’ve edited several essays in this series, and it’s fascinating (and fun even) to learn the history and quirks. Montana’s is/was particularly unique.

Breaking News: A judge ruled that President Trump’s order targeting WilmerHale, a law firm associated with his political opposition, was unconstitutional.

A beautifully written story of complicated facts and feelings. By @bernstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/m...

On Friday, the NC Supreme Court allowed a major control shift over state election administration to stand, at least for now, despite a trial court finding the change is unconstitutional. @brennancenter.org's Justin Lam explained why this power grab matters. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Today @hankjohnson.house.gov introduced the TERM Act—a bill to create 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices. The bottom line is this: no one should hold too much power for too long. 1/

Things I learned: The Ohio Constitution is one of the nation’s oldest, but events in the last few years — repro rights fights, gerrymandering, questionable state supreme court decisions — have kept this 1851 doc in the news cycle.

I wrote about Allison Riggs in my 2020 book Thank You for Voting when she was arguing for voters’ rights at SCOTUS. Five years later, she spent six months demanding votes in her race for NC Supreme Court be counted. She won.

6 months after the election, the person who won the election will be seated. And those citizens who took the time to participate in democracy will have their votes counted.

My @statecourtreport.bsky.social colleague @douglaskeith.bsky.social in @slate.com on today’s arrest of a Wisconsin judge. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Arresting a judge for something like this is dangerous and wrong. We know that ICE's presence in courthouses makes our communities less safe. 1/2

BREAKING: The Brennan Center and other voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's recent executive order on voting and elections that violates the Constitution and could block millions of Americans from registering to vote. Read more in our complaint: 1/

With state courts now deciding many of the most important cases in our democracy, legislators across the country are responding by taking aim at judicial independence. Must-read reporting from Montana which is facing "an avalanche of bills to reshape the judiciary." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/u...

“We call on the judiciary, bar associations, law firms, and individual lawyers to speak out against this dangerous assault on the legal profession and the rule of law …” Nearly a dozen civil rights groups in public memo. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million. Note That Number. A quarter century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/n... By Matthew Haag and Katherine Rosman

Texas faculty testify against bills to screen universities’ curriculum for “ideological” bias.

CJ Roberts is exactly right re: judicial impeachment: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose." /1 thehill.com/regulation/c...

First story I read this morning www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/n...

How are Trump’s education policy changes affecting education in the US? @erings.bsky.social interviewed education law expert @joshuaweishart.bsky.social about how states, universities, and other groups are fighting back, and how states might adjust to this new reality.

Great work by a great organization

Want to know which elections you should be thinking about right now? The state Supreme Court races in WI and PA. @douglaskeith.bsky.social on the high stakes and who is donating big $$. (One clue: E.M.) statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

One might think that since the Republican Party made a little headway with younger voters in the last election that politicians of all stripes might consider the benefits of helping not hurting youth voter turnout.

I spoke to education rights expert @joshuaweishart.bsky.social about the Trump executive orders and cuts affecting education. If you care about our public education system, it’s worth a read. I learned a lot. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Been wondering this all day. Personal liberty to express an opinion contrary to the administration a boss seeks favor from is also a possibility.

Anti-vaxers maybe not so anti-vax after all. Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock's health department: “We’ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn’t believe in vaccines.” www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

🤝
WHEN WE’RE IN CHARGE: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership 🤝

is now available for pre-order & will be out on May 13!! It's a book for & about millennials & gen Z on how we can break the cycle of bad boomer leadership to make everyone’s lives a little bit better. whenwereincharge.com

There is broad recognition across party and ideology that the rule of law requires presidents to comply with court orders. In our system of checks and balances we have a president, not a king. Check out some of the key statements at the link below.