North Carolina has passed 37 amendments since adopting its third Constitution in 1971. One of these amendments, passed in 1997, gave the governor the power to veto bills, making North Carolina the last US state to give their governor veto authority. Learn more here: 50constitutions.org/nc

Staff Attorney @bgodar.bsky.social recaps the Wisconsin Supreme Court's 2024-25 term for @statebarofwi.bsky.social Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, highlighting key cases on abortion, legislative committee powers, the governor's partial veto, and more: www.wisbar.org/NewsPublicat...

In 2018 and 2022, Michigan voters amended the constitution to enshrine a series of voting-related provisions, including absentee ballot tracking, pre-paid postage for absentee ballots, and in-person voter registration through the day of the election. Learn more here: 50constitutions.org/mi/

Call for papers for a Scholarship Roundtable on State and Local Governance taking place on 4/10/26 in Ann Arbor! Details here: go.wisc.edu/rx53ph

Happening in 15 minutes! Watch here: www.azcourts.gov/AZ-Supreme-C...

Happening tomorrow! There's still time to register here: go.wisc.edu/7ig7qx

Tomorrow at 12:15 pm CT, the AZ Supreme Court hears Center for Arizona Policy v. Secretary of State—a rare test of state‑constitutional limits on campaign finance disclosure. Watch: www.azcourts.gov/AZ-Supreme-C... Amicus from SDRI’s @miriamseifter.bsky.social  & @robyablon.bsky.social (& others):

It's not too late to sign up for our Education Rights and State Constitutions event happening next week! For more information and to register, go to go.wisc.edu/7ig7qx

Join us for the next installment in our Election Matters panel series on "Money, Politics, and the First Amendment." This event will explore the impacts of increasingly expensive elections and the tension between campaign finance regulation and free speech. Register here: go.wisc.edu/190re6

📢Call for papers for a Scholarship Roundtable on State and Local Governance, organized by @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social and Professors Alexandra Klass, Nina Mendelson, and @chrisjwalker.bsky.social and taking place at @umichlaw.bsky.social, 4/10/26 in Ann Arbor! Details here: go.wisc.edu/rx53ph

Arizona was the first state to adopt a constitutional provision requiring campaign finance disclosure. The provision was included in the state's original constitution and remains in the constitution to this day. Learn more at 50constitutions.org/az.

My latest scholarship roundup up for @statecourtreport.org covers interesting new work on state constitutions, state courts, federalism, and more. (Sorry to report that it’s the back-to-school edition!) statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Join us for “Education Rights and State Constitutions” on Friday, September 12 from 3:00-4:15pm Central Time, with a reception to follow. This event will take place in-person in Room 2260 in the UW Law School, with the option to attend virtually. go.wisc.edu/7ig7qx

Can states criminally prosecute wrongdoing by federal officials? Can states authorize people to bring civil damages actions against federal officials who act unconstitutionally? We explore these questions in two new explainers. 1/ go.wisc.edu/yb8t55

Staff Attorney @bgodar.bsky.social recaps the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s landmark separation-of-powers decision in Evers v. Marklein for @brennancenter.org's @statecourtreport.org, explaining how it strikes down legislative vetoes over administrative rulemaking: statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

🚨50 Constitutions Update🚨 Our latest update to 50constitutions.org adds tracking constitutional change features to 4 additional states! These tools allow users to explore a state's full amendment history. 50constitutions.org

The WI Supreme Court wrapped up its 2024-25 term with high-profile decisions on abortion, legislative committee vetoes, and more. Check out @bgodar.bsky.social’s explainer for a review of the term’s key cases and a preview of what’s to come: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual panel, “Year in Review: Democracy Litigation in SCOTUS and the States.” Our panelists explored last year's most impactful rulings and previewed important upcoming cases. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here: youtu.be/eg1NvWhO3ss?....

📣 UW Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative is hiring! We’re searching for a program coordinator to support SDRI in all aspects of its work, from events to communications and research support. Apply here: go.wisc.edu/6p0b3n

Breaking: The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a Wisconsin legislative committee’s powers to pause, object to, or suspend administrative rules violate the state constitution's bicameralism and presentment requirements. Opinion: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

There is still time to register!

New: The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an 1849 law on abortion was impliedly repealed by later abortion legislation, so it no longer operates as a ban on abortion. Read the opinion here: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

📢Fellowship Announcement!📢 SDRI is seeking applicants for sponsored fellowships to join us in developing cutting-edge research on state-level democracy, state constitutions, and state government institutions. learn more: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

SDRI’s @miriamseifter.bsky.social and @robyablon.bsky.social submitted an amicus brief with other scholars in the Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday arguing that the Arizona Constitution’s text, structure, and history strongly support transparency in elections. go.wisc.edu/0qjtgc

A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court held Wednesday that Gov. Evers exceeded his partial veto power when he vetoed part of a literacy bill—it held that the bill is not an “appropriations bill” and therefore is not subject to the partial veto. Opinion: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court held Tuesday that a legislative committee cannot dictate WI DOJ’s ability to settle certain types of civil lawsuits, concluding that these cases fall within core executive branch powers. Opinion: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

Join us for “Year in Review: Democracy Litigation in SCOTUS and the States” Thursday, July 10 at 3pm CT, at the Madison Public Library or online. The panel will highlight the past year’s significant democracy-related decisions at both the state and federal levels. Register here: go.wisc.edu/bl85id

Thank you to the Gargoyle for highlighting Liz Gracie and John Miller’s generosity in contributing $50,000 to establish a matching gift for SDRI. We are so grateful to them and the other donors! gargoyle.law.wisc.edu/2025/06/supp...

There is still time to register!

Staff Attorney @adamsopko.bsky.social recaps the PA Supreme Court's 2024 election cases for The PA Lawyer Magazine, highlighting the court's more passive approach than in prior years. He considers possible explanations and their implications for 2025 and beyond. 📖: www.pabar.org/members/pala...

🎓 Congratulations to the Class of 2025 UW Law School Graduates, especially those who worked with us here at SDRI. We look forward to staying in touch and can't wait to see where you all go next!

Join us for "The Work of State Supreme Courts" on May 30, from 9-10:30am, featuring state supreme court justices from across the country! Register for in-person or online⬇️ go.wisc.edu/p12jci

The Wisconsin Supreme Court today upheld Gov. Evers’s creative partial veto that struck digits and dashes to extend a school revenue limit increase by 400 years: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

📣 UW Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative is hiring! We’re searching for a program coordinator to support SDRI in all aspects of its work, from events to communications and research support. Apply here: go.wisc.edu/6p0b3n

As Ohio lawmakers consider overhauling a voter-approved initiative legalizing adult-use marijuana, my forthcoming Case Western Reserve Law Review essay argues their power to do so is much more limited than commonly assumed. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Oral argument starts at 9:45am CT today in Wisconsin State Legislature v. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, a separation of powers case in the WI Supreme Court. Watch the argument here: wiseye.org?p=31299 Read our explainer: go.wisc.edu/10pr00

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is hearing a major separation of powers case today on whether it’s constitutional to require the attorney general to get approval from a legislative committee before he can settle certain types of cases. Watch here at 9:45 a.m.: wiseye.org?p=31289

On April 1, Wisconsinites will vote on a proposal from the legislature to add a voter ID requirement to the state constitution. If approved, the amendment would make it harder to change the state's existing voter ID laws. Check out our explainer to learn more: go.wisc.edu/d78ch0

Wisconsin's high-stakes April 1 Supreme Court election could chart the state's course on abortion, voting rights, unions, and more. Our new explainer gets beyond the campaign ads with detailed coverage of the candidates' judicial records and stances on key issues. go.wisc.edu/17km66

SDRI's @miriamseifter.bsky.social and @robyablon.bsky.social submitted an amicus brief with other scholars in the PA Supreme Court on Friday, arguing the state constitution's democratic commitments prohibit the exclusion of mail-in ballots based on immaterial technical errors. go.wisc.edu/0w67yg

Join us for “Local Perspectives: Mayors in American Governance” on Tuesday, April 1, from 12-1pm CT, at the UW Law School. Panelists include Mayors Julia Arata-Fratta, David Holt, Kim Norton, Steve Patterson, and Sangeetha Rayapati. Miriam Seifter is moderating. Register here: go.wisc.edu/x8j35p

All eyes are on Wisconsin’s high-stakes April 1 Supreme Court election. But two days later, the court will hear a major legal battle over $50 million for childhood literacy between legislators and the Department of Public Instruction. Our latest breaks down the issues and stakes: go.wisc.edu/10pr00

Wisconsin's high-stakes April 1 Supreme Court election could chart the state's course on abortion, voting rights, unions, and more. Our new explainer gets beyond the campaign ads with detailed coverage of the candidates' judicial records and stances on key issues. go.wisc.edu/17km66

New from me on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in @contrariannews.org: Musk is spending big on the race even as he voices contempt for the very idea of an independent judiciary. contrarian.substack.com/p/a-test-for...

Join us for “Local Perspectives: Mayors in American Governance” on Tuesday, April 1, from 12-1pm CT, at the UW Law School. Panelists include Mayors Julia Arata-Fratta, David Holt, Kim Norton, Steve Patterson, and Sangeetha Rayapati. Miriam Seifter is moderating. Register here: go.wisc.edu/x8j35p

We're hiring! There's still time to apply for our open positions! Deadline is March 16.

Join us for “Understanding State Supreme Court Elections: Wisconsin and Beyond” Friday, March 7 at 3pm CT, at the UW Law School or online. Panelists include @bcburden.bsky.social, Michael Kang, and @yeargain.bsky.social, with @miriamseifter.bsky.social moderating. Register here: go.wisc.edu/96y654

As money pours into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race from Elon Musk, George Soros, political parties, and others, it's a good time to revisit our explainer on judicial recusal from 2023. Bottom line: campaign contributions usually don't require recusal. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

On April 1, Wisconsinites will vote on a proposal from the legislature to add a voter ID requirement to the state constitution. If approved, the amendment would make it harder to change the state's existing voter ID laws. Check out our explainer to learn more: go.wisc.edu/d78ch0

We've updated our election litigation tracker to cover lawsuits in state & federal courts for 2024. Some takeaways: > High volume of election litigation continued > Most suits were in state court > Majority of cases focused on the voting process go.wisc.edu/q141gm