One week left to submit an abstract for our Scholarship Roundtable in April!

Check out Staff Attorney Bryna Godar's Lawfare piece analyzing when states can prosecute federal officials for violations of state criminal law.

If you missed our panel on 'Education Rights & State Constitutions,' you can watch the event recording for this event and many more on our website. Watch the recording here: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/events-summa...

Property owners have increasingly used state law to challenge programs and policies meant to assist the poor. As Staff Attorney @bridgetlavender.bsky.social explains in the State Court Report, state efforts to defend these policies have been mostly successful. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

If you missed our panel on 'Money, Politics, & the First Amendment,' you can watch the event recording for this event and many more on our website. Watch the recording here: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/events-summa...

In this Ninth Circuit amicus brief, SDRI’s @miriamseifter.bsky.social & @robyablon.bsky.social, with other legal scholars, explain that individuals can use certain state laws to sue for damages when federal officers violate their constitutional rights. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

Join us next week for “Judging in State Appellate Courts” on Thursday, October 30, from 12:00-1:00 pm CT. This event will take place in-person in Lubar Commons (room 7200) of the UW Law School, with the option to attend virtually. Lunch will be provided. Register here: go.wisc.edu/zame95

@miriamseifter.bsky.social, @robyablon.bsky.social, & other scholars filed an amicus brief last week urging the OR Court of Appeals to consider the OR Constitution's democratic commitments when analyzing whether state law authorizes invasive surveillance. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

Check out Harrison Stark's @statecourtreport.org piece exploring the long history -- and present possibility -- of suing federal officials under state law. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

The deadline to submit an abstract for our Scholarship Roundtable on State and Local Governance is one month away! To learn more, visit go.wisc.edu/rx53ph

With some federal agents now wearing masks on the job, a growing number of states are considering mask bans. Can states apply such laws to federal actors without contravening the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause? We explore this question in a new Explainer: go.wisc.edu/bn0b1c

Join us for “Judging in State Appellate Courts” on Thursday, October 30, from 12:00-1:00 pm CT. This event will take place in-person in Lubar Commons (room 7200) of the UW Law School, with the option to attend virtually. Lunch will be provided. go.wisc.edu/zame95

Happening tomorrow! There's still time to register here: go.wisc.edu/190re6

Although the Pennsylvania Constitution has never included a provision describing the procedure for holding a constitutional convention, the state has held seven constitutional conventions throughout its history. Learn more here: 50constitutions.org/pa/

It's not too late to sign up for our Election Matters event happening next week! For more information and to register, go to go.wisc.edu/190re6

Join us in Madison on 11/14! As courts weigh lifting WI's fusion ban, come for a day of cross-partisan expert panels. @politicalreform.newamerica.org @centerforballotfreedom.org @law.wisc.edu @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social @electionscenter.bsky.social Register here: t.co/04yxGXyiwm

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