New year, new set of state oral arguments to watch -- including several this week! Check out @statecourtreport.org's oral argument previews by @erings.bsky.social & @skess108.bsky.social. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

NEWS: A big ruling in Wyoming, where today the state supreme court struck down laws banning abortion. The court ruled the relevant laws violated the state constitution's healthcare freedom amendment, which establishes a right to make healthcare decisions. /1 www.msn.com/en-us/news/n...

Happy birthday to the nation’s FIRST state constitution! Nathaniel Fouch tells the story of New Hampshire’s first effort at constitution-making 250 years ago. An important part of our national story and the spirit of ‘76. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

I have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643

NEW: More than 300 judges — including 33 appointed by Trump himself — have now rebuffed the Trump administration’s bid to dramatically expand efforts to lock people up while they fight deportation. www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/trump-administration-immigrants-mandatory-detention-00709494

2025 was a big year for state con law, and @statecourtreport.org asked some of the country's top legal thinkers what they thought were the most significant state constitutional cases of the year. Check out their answers! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

I looked up some of 2025's most-read stories on @statecourtreport.org. It's an interesting mix! Post-Dobbs, a big question has been the scope of exceptions to abortion bans for medical emergencies. @maryrziegler.bsky.social analyzed the cases & issues to watch./1 statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

I looked up some of 2025's most-read stories on @statecourtreport.org. It's an interesting mix! Post-Dobbs, a big question has been the scope of exceptions to abortion bans for medical emergencies. @maryrziegler.bsky.social analyzed the cases & issues to watch./1 statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

(1/16) 🧵🧵🧵@statecourtreport.org just published its annual year-end feature! Top legal thinkers tell us which cases from the last 12 months you all should know about. Dang — it's been a year. Topics include ICE action, executing innocent people, gerrymandering, and way more. @brennancenter.org

Check out some of this year’s most important state supreme court opinions, including @miriamseifter.bsky.social contribution.

Abortion rights exist in state constitutions, but getting courts to recognize them can be a hard road due to state constitutional procedures. Our Senior Counsel Amy Myrick explains more about how these procedures can shape abortion rights and access. 👀⬇️

NEW amicus from @earlymodjustice.bsky.social et al. has a very important interlude discussing the difficulties of historical analysis for originalist litigation that, in turn, emphasizes the need for courts to look more to principles than to analogues... www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

Some really interesting things are happening outside of SCOTUS, and your state may soon become the primary guarantor of rights that matter to you if it's not already.

So many things going on in state courts! Including, in my contribution, a rejection of evidence-free administrative warrants in Pennsylvania.

State constitutional law matters—now more than ever. @statecourtreport.org's latest roundup collects leading voices on the most influential state constitutional cases of 2025. Read it below 👇

State Court Report asked some of the country's top legal thinkers about the most significant state constitutional cases of the year. Read answers from @dahlialithwick.bsky.social, Eugene Volokh, Erwin Chemerinsky, Justice Nathan Hecht, and many more! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Everyone missed the obvious right answer, which is LeMieux v. Evers, 19 N.W.3d 76 (Wis. 2025).

read our @boltsmag.org coverage of two of these cases! —Hawaii's supreme court rebells against SCOTUS: boltsmag.org/hawaii-supre... —Michigan's supreme court expands protections against juvenile life without parole: boltsmag.org/michigan-sup...

To this excellent list, I would add the state high courts that struck abortion bans this year, most notably Montana's, which, in striking a 20-week abortion ban, held that "privacy right challenges under the Montana Constitution trigger strict scrutiny." juddocumentservice.mt.gov/getDocByCTra...

State Court Report asked some of the country's top legal thinkers about the most significant state constitutional cases of the year. Read answers from @dahlialithwick.bsky.social, Eugene Volokh, Erwin Chemerinsky, Justice Nathan Hecht, and many more! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

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!

NEW: North Carolina Justice Allison Riggs @allisonjriggs.bsky.social sat down with @statecourtreport.org's @erings.bsky.social for a wide-ranging interview about her career, her thoughts on partisan judicial elections & much more. It's a fascinating conversation. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

NEW: The Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore "created an unprecedented firestorm when it reversed the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to order a recount based on Florida election law." @stevespaulding.bsky.social reflects on the landmark decision's legacy on the eve of its 25th anniversary.

State courts shape daily life more than you think, but keeping up with the decisions that matter can be a challenge. From legal scholars to students to rights advocates, hear from some of our superusers about how they use State Court Report. Subscribe today: go.statecourtreport.org/subscribe.

Across the country, state supreme courts don’t reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. I wrote about why having a diverse bench can help judges do a better job of getting things right. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Who sits on the state's highest courts isn't just symbolic -- it can matter to outcomes that shape everyday lives. My colleague @aliciabannon.bsky.social discusses why diversity on the bench is so important in @statecourtreport.org's latest newsletter. Read the post & our latest analysis below!

A new report describing the diversity of state supreme courts reveals "a stark disconnect between the composition of many of these powerful bodies and the communities they serve." @aliciabannon.bsky.social discusses why that matters In the latest State Court Report newsletter.

Originalism’s creep in the courts may seem inevitable. But litigators do have tools to push back – and for the first time, my colleagues @tomtmwolf.bsky.social, @cisozaki.bsky.social and I have collected the many moves litigators can make in a single resource: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

More reflections on Bush v. Gore! Eliza Sweren-Becker @brennancenter.org writes about how a concurrence introduced the independent state legislature theory, threatening to strip state courts of power re: federal elections. SCOTUS rejected the theory in 2023. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

I cannot believe it's been 25 years since Bush v Gore. I loved this reflection on the decision and the current state of our democracy from retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente. New in @statecourtreport.org. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Bush v. Gore was decided 25 years ago this week. Bush may have won the case, but Justice Stevens wrote that "the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.” www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

It starts with knowing the truth. Don’t allow yourselves to be gaslit into believing this is a real question.

Outside of my day job, I have a project about law & life in Victorian London. Details in due course. For now, I’m putting that knowledge to use for Advent. It’s 24 days of Victorian occupations! Each day I’ll post a different (hopefully merry!) job from the days of Dickens.🧵

Monday @ 10 AM: SCOTUS holds argument in Trump v. Slaughter. It’s a case about the president’s ability to remove Federal Trade Commissioners from office. It’s also a significant showdown over presidential power more broadly. A 🧵on issues to watch @brennancenter.org

I *always* learn something when @ijsanders.bsky.social writes for State Court Report, even (especially?!) when I have a different view. He grapples with genuinely hard questions about how to give meaning to capacious state constitutional language protecting liberty. An excellent read!

#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three democratic appointees, #SCOTUS puts Texas's new House maps back into effect for (and, presumably, through) the 2026 midterms. The three Democratic appointees, in an opinion by Justice Kagan, dissent. I'll post the ruling shortly.

The fall semester has been SUPER busy for the members of the Historians Council on the Constitution. Walk with me through this 🧵for highlights from the historians' work on some of the most pressing legal issues of the day, from agency independence to voting rights... @brennancenter.org

Gentle reminder as we close out the fall semester that you should submit that abstract/idea/working paper for the 15th Annual Fed Courts Junior Scholars conference. More details at the link below. Reach out w/ questions, & *please share this widely.* We have an amazing lineup of senior scholars!

Hello! @adamsopko.bsky.social and I have been working on a proposal to charter an AALS Section on State Constitutional Law. We believe that such a section is long overdue and that it is urgent to foster scholarly community and support in a growing discipline. Links to support this effort below: ⬇️

When you hear "ICE," you probably think of federal courts, but state courts are emerging as key checks on immigration enforcement. Cases piling up now could shape what ICE can do on the ground. To learn more, subscribe to our free newsletter: go.statecourtreport.org/subscribe.

Immigration enforcement is usually thought of as a federal issue, but ICE's work is intertwined with state law in a number of ways. @aliciabannon.bsky.social examines recent state litigation WI, NY, and CA that will shape the relationship between ICE and the states & localities in which it operates.

As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP. Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.

NEW: Amid attacks on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), the need for representative state supreme courts is as urgent as ever. @cisozaki.bsky.social and Jamie Muth share key takeaways from their latest analysis of state supreme court diversity for @brennancenter.org.

NEW: I wrote for @statecourtreport.org about the important role *state* law plays in immigration enforcement, and some ongoing litigation in WI, NY, and CA that will shape the relationship between ICE and the states and localities in which it operates. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

If this reporting is right, it looks like that while Utah lawmakers are going to appeal rulings adopting a court-drawn congressional map, they aren’t going to try to change the map for the 2026 midterms. kutv.com/news/local/u...

State supreme courts are still overwhelmingly white & male ⚖️ 18 states: 0 justices of color ⚖️ 47 states + DC: 0 Native American justices ⚖️ 42 states: 0 Asian American justices ⚖️ 39 + DC: 0 Latino justices ⚖️ 24 states: 0 Black justices New @brennancenter.org analysis below👇👇

NEW: Judge dismisses the Trump Admin's challenge to NY's Protect Our Courts Act, a law prohibiting immigration arrests at NY's courthouses! This is an important response to those who say states can't hold ICE officers accountable to the law. www.courtlistener.com/docket/70522...

I had a lot of fun interviewing the three former chief justices of the Texas Supreme Court at the Texas Tribune Festival. We talked about the problems with partisan judicial elections, why public confidence in the courts is falling, and why access to justice is so important.

@aliciabannon.bsky.social will be in conversation with the Texas Supreme Court's three most recent former chief justices for @texastribune.org's #Tribfest2025 on Saturday, Nov. 15, 1-2pm CT: bit.ly/4i0gNQj

If you'll be in Austin for @texastribune.org's #Tribfest2025, don't miss @aliciabannon.bsky.social on stage and in conversation with the Texas Supreme Court's three most recent former chief justices. Saturday November 15, 1-2PM CT bit.ly/4i0gNQj