🚨BREAKING: 3-judge panel finds that congressional map that Alabama wants to use for this year's midterms is intentionally discriminatory and issues a preliminary injunction. drive.google.com/file/d/1K2Zf...

NEW: A federal court blocked Alabama’s midterm gerrymandering plan, potentially preventing Republicans from picking up an additional seat.

Listen to David Blight, historian and renowned scholar of the abolitionist and Reconstruction period describe the roots of what we now commemorate as Memorial Day.

The framers of the 14th Amendment understood that democracy could be threatened not only by insurrection itself but by efforts to legitimize or reward it afterward. What does that mean in light of the Trump administration’s Jan 6th compensation fund? 14thamendmentctr.org/news/what-th...

“Maps. Land. Power. It’s All There.” The brilliant vision and artistic majesty of artist Mark Bradford. Wonderful piece about his new monumental work at the soon-to-be-opened Obama Presidential Library. Mark’s vision epitomizes how art plays into our Center’s work. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/a...

Kevin Morris, a researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice, said that Alito’s claim is “simply not factual,” and that the turnout gap had “exploded” over the last three years. trib.al/8N53FLm

Here’s Alabama Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter today openly calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the 14th Amendment.This is where we are. *The Supreme Court lacks the power to overturn a constitutional amendment.They can,however, render it ineffective w/decisions that drain its power.

HAPPENING NOW: The Alabama House floor is holding debate before taking a final vote on legislation that would enable the state to redraw its congressional map. If the measure is enacted, Republicans could gain up to two more seats in Congress ahead of the midterms. 📺 Watch here:

MUST READ: This piece by David Cole is correct. www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...

“They’re trying to make everybody undocumented.”Nana Gymafi on what’s at stake in the fight over birthright citizenship—and who is most at risk. Watch here:https://youtu.be/rvAX-MIvKRA?si=uW9lExf3G-S6Czlr

“Even getting to this point is a win… it normalizes limiting birthright citizenship. @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app how the Overton window is shifting—and why that matters. Watch here: youtu.be/rvAX-MIvKRA?...

“Imagination without infrastructure disappears.” Sade Lythcott on why institutions must do more than celebrate artists—they must support them. Artists need space, materials, and safety to create. Watch the full talk here: youtu.be/X86ePfLCkL4?...

Infuriating that Roberts said the Court should rush in bc states and businesses would "suffer irreparable harm" and the EPA rule was "highly unlikely" to be legal Like I said at the @the14thcenter.bsky.social Symposium, no such concern existed for birthright citizenship! youtu.be/lIYOIrtWrzY?...

“Is the Court going to follow the letter of the law?” @mjsdc.bsky.social breaks down what’s really at stake in Trump v. Barbara. Watch the full panel here: youtu.be/rvAX-MIvKRA?...

“We lack critical knowledge that we need to evaluate the moment we’re in and imagine how we go forward.” @sifill.bsky.social on why understanding the 14th Amendment is essential to building a multiracial democracy. Watch the full speech here: bit.ly/NextRefounding

Friends in DC area: Friday (April 10), in person at Howard U Law School is the @the14thcenter.bsky.social 2026 Symposium hosted by founding director Sherrilyn Ifill. Panels on birthright citizenship, voting rights, art, education, & more. Learn more and RSVP: 14thamendmentctr.org/news/second-...

Good news! We’re ending this week with a day of discussion & collaboration about how we “navigate this nadir” & use the 14th Amendment as a guide for re-founding our country. Again. All day Friday at @howardlawschool.bsky.social. Learn more here: 14thamendmentctr.org/news/second-...

Our Founding Director, @sifill.bsky.social , was in the Supreme Court today for oral arguments in #TrumpvBarbara- a case that could reshape birthright citizenship. Here are her initial reflections from the courtroom. #BirthrightCitizenship #14thAmendment #scotus

Here’s what you need to know about the #TrumpvBarbara oral arguments happening today at #SCOTUS. Our Founding Director, @sifill.bsky.social, is in the courtroom now listening to the arguments live. Tune in and stay with us for her analysis immediately following.

On the complex histories of birthright citizenship in the family history of SCOTUS justices. GIFT LINK: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/u...

MUST READ (gift link). From historians @katemasur.bsky.social & @marthasjones.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/o...

There were more voters who didn’t vote in ‘24 than there were those who voted for Trump. Remember: You don’t have to waste your time or breath on MAGA cult members. They are lost. Focus on the apathetic. 

Today is the 128th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship in U.S. v. Wong Ark Kim.

Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/o...

Love this.

We’re proud to officially launch the website of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy. A new space for scholarship, education, and public engagement on citizenship, equality, and constitutional democracy. Explore more at: 14thamendmentctr.org

Registration is now open for the 14th Amendment Center’s 2026 Symposium, “That the Work This Time Shall Finally Be Done:" The 14th Amendment & the Next Refounding, taking place on Friday, April 10, 2026, at @howardlawschool.bsky.social in Washington, DC. Reserve your spot: rsvp.link/refounding

The 14th Center will host its 2026 Symposium — “That the Work This Time Shall Finally Be Done”: The 14th Amendment & the Next Refounding on April 10 in DC. Scholars, advocates, artists, & students will explore citizenship, equality, & democratic renewal. Save the date: calendarlink.com/event/7KrG4

On this day in 1895, funeral services were held in Washington, D.C. for Frederick Douglass. The Library is home to the Frederick Douglass Papers, which include dozens of bereavement telegrams that were sent to his widow following his death. 🧵

#OnThisDay in 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels becomes the first Black person to serve in the U.S. Senate. #BlackHistoryMonth Learn about Revel’s political career and the many obstacles he overcame to be elected: https://ow.ly/zbKk50YcsJu#OnThisDay

Celebrating the birthday of the great scholar and visionary W.E.B DuBois, whose meticulously-researched seminal work Black Reconstruction, is the essential historical account of the true story of Reconstruction and how it was destroyed. www.threads.com/@kenlburns/p...

Today we honor Frederick Douglass — abolitionist, orator, and one of the most important constitutional thinkers of the 19th century. Douglass believed that the struggle for freedom was ultimately a struggle over citizenship: Who belongs? Who is protected? Who has power?

BREAKING: Judge Cobb has barred DHS from preventing members of Congress from visiting immigration detention facilities without notice, saying the administration's policy likely violated the law requiring their unfettered access. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Week 1 - Black History Month 2026 1. You may have seen this image of Black men voting during Reconstruction, and assumed it is a depiction of voting after the passage of the 15th Amendment (which outlaws denying the right to vote based on race).

It’s Black History Month 2026. All month we’ll be featuring stories from Reconstruction and about the 14th Amendment that are not widely known. We must know our history.

A groundbreaking decision this week from a federal district court in Virginia enjoining enforcement of the state’s lifetime ban on voting for citizens convicted of felonies,on the grounds that the law conflicts w/the conditions imposed by the 1870 Congressional statute readmitting VA to the Union!

“In the long run it is safest for a nation, a political party, or an individual man to dare to do right, & let consequences take care of themselves, for he that loses his life for truth’s sake, shall find it.” -Rep.(later President) James Garfield in defense of the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

I quite liked the Netflix series “Death By Lightning” about the assassination of President Garfield. I wish they’d included more about his bold abolitionist work, and defense of the Civil Rights Act on the floor of the U.S. House. He wasn’t an accidental orator as the script implied.

William Martin’s work powerfully demonstrated the critical importance of courage, a commitment to truth-telling, and professionalism in historical museum work. I wish he could be with us for the 250th. Rest in Peace William “Bill” Martin. wapo.st/49gfecL

“In the long run it is safest for a nation, a political party, or an individual man to dare to do right, & let consequences take care of themselves, for he that loses his life for truth’s sake, shall find it.” -Rep.(later President) James Garfield in defense of the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

Immigrant Founding Fathers: Key leaders like Alexander Hamilton (born in Nevis), Robert Morris (born in Liverpool, England), and some Signers of the Declaration or Constitution, such as James Wilson (Scotland), William Paterson (Ireland), and Stephen Moylan (Ireland), were foreign-born.

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a challenge to birthright citizenship is a direct test of one of the 14th Amendment’s core guarantees. Section 1 is unambiguous and it has been for more than 150 years. Birthright citizenship is not a policy. Not a preference. Not a debate.It’s the Constitution.

Here we go. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...

It’s Thanksgiving Day. Did you know that it was President Lincoln who created this holiday to celebrate the resilience of the American people and the commitment to freedom during the Civil War? Listen to one of our favorite historians @hcrichardson.bsky.social on the Civil War origins of this day.

#OnThisDay in 1866, a peaceful Black voting rights convention in New Orleans was brutally massacred by a white mob. Nearly 50 people were killed. This tragedy fueled the fight for the 14th Amendment.

Back in the 1960s, the Smothers Brothers made fun of President Lyndon Johnson and his policies many times on their popular television show. The president wrote them a letter in response.

Historians Don't Think a US Civil War Is Likely—but They're Still Nervous. “The fabric of what binds America together at this point is basically on its final thread,” www.wired.com/story/path-t...