New Jersey’s supreme court barred civilian oversight boards from mounting an independent investigation of police if the police have already launched an internal inquiry. Officials in many NJ cities are demanding more authority for civilian boards.

New Jersey’s largest cities have been pushing for stronger police oversight for years. But state law currently forbids civilian boards from having any real power over police. Read my latest on where recent elections have left this impasse between cities and the state: boltsmag.org/new-jersey-c...

This is exactly why this piece is so important. The national conversation has largely flattened the effects of the VRA -- and it's potential demise -- to which party controls Congress. There's so much more to the VRA than that, and so much more on the line

Congressional redistricting is monumentally important. But for Black people in places like Fayette County, TN, it is the County Commn where the stakes are highest. What SCOTUS does in Louisiana v Calláis may threaten Black representation across the rural South. boltsmag.org/voting-right...

1️⃣ You've heard a lot about the troubles the VRA is in as it's attacked by the right. This summer, @pascalsabino.bsky.social reported on what that means, concretely, for just Native communities in North Dakota who've gained representation thanks to the VRA. boltsmag.org/voting-right...

Fayette County, Tennessee, is more than 1/4 Black, but all 19 of its county commissioners are white. Important @pascalsabino.bsky.social piece here about representation and fair maps: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

a beautifully-done but distressing article here it tells you about the future SCOTUS might plunge us under in just a mere few months, if not less — be sure to read it

If SCOTUS conservatives gut VRA protections from election discrimination, it won't just threaten POC seats in Congress. It is more often used to protect local elections — like in Fayette, TN, where officials used racist voting maps to ensure an all-white county board: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

Oh! We at Bolts just wrote about Roxanna Valenzuela, and South Tucson, a few months ago. You may remember her as the mayor of the Arizona city who faced a recall (and survived) because she helped a soup kitchen and help housed homeless people: boltsmag.org/arizona-enfo...

Mientras la crisis de personas sin hogar en Arizona se agrava, ciudades como South Tucson se debaten entre la compasión y el control, algunos líderes piden empatía, otros más mano dura. www.palabranahj.org/archive/ante... @pascalsabino.bsky.social @camillesquires.bsky.social

This has not gotten much attention, but it should. Virginia under Youngkin returned to an insanely harsh system where people convicted of any felony lose their voting rights FOR LIFE. Dems' win this week mean they'll get to advance a constitutional amendment to end lifetime disenfranchisement.

JUST IN: Soren Stevenson, who lost an eye due to a projectile fired by the police during the BLM protests of 2020 in Minneapolis, has won a seat on city council. @pascalsabino.bsky.social reported on his candidacy last month in a must-read: boltsmag.org/minneapolis-...

RESULT: Soren Stevenson is elected to the Minneapolis City Council in the Eighth Ward. Stevenson lost an eye during a 2020 BLM protest after he was shot by police with a foam projectile.

In Minneapolis, the mayor & entire city council are on the ballot. On police reform, the incumbent mayor & his allies insist the city is on the right track. But a more progressive bloc is pushing for bolder solutions to ongoing patterns of police abuse: boltsmag.org/minneapolis-...

Five years after the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis Police Department remains troubled by officer misconduct. Mayor Jacob Frey has insisted the cify is on track to reform. But some candidates in coming election say the city has failed to meet its promises of change boltsmag.org/minneapolis-...

Missourians have repeatedly used ballot initiatives to adopt policies that lawmakers in the GOP supermajority refuse to move on: abortion rights, paid sick leave, Medicaid expansion. In response, Missouri Republicans are attempting to make direct democracy impossible: boltsmag.org/missouri-ame...

NEW — Black organizers and elected leaders gathered today to denounce Trump’s threats to send military forces to Chicago. They are developing a 30-day emergency response plan, which includes establishing mutual aid hubs and Know Your Rights training sessions. thetriibe.com/2025/08/blac...

NEW — As President Donald Trump tries to punish jurisdictions with bail reform, Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell explains why Illinois ended cash bail—and what he hopes to see next. “What is scary is that this is tyranny 101.” thetriibe.com/2025/08/chic...

I talked to Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell about Trump's order to defund governments that have moved away from cash bail. IL abolished cash bail so people wouldn't be jailed just because they are poor — Mitchell told me Trump's intervention is "Tyranny 101" boltsmag.org/chicago-publ...

Tucson enacted a series of camping bans in response to a state law that pushes cities to criminalize homelessness & punishes those that don't. That pressure also came to the fore South Tucson: leaders were targeted in a failed recall attempt for their work with a local soup kitchen

Tucson enacted a series of camping bans in response to a state law that pushes cities to criminalize homelessness & punishes those that don't. That pressure also came to the fore South Tucson: leaders were targeted in a failed recall attempt for their work with a local soup kitchen

NEW: Leaders of a small Arizona city ramped up affordable housing & services like soup kitchens for homeless people. In response, a former mayor got angry & tried to recall them. But they survived the recalls this month. Bolts reports on what's happening—& the warring responses to homelessness:

A federal judge struck down part of Florida's new crackdown on ballot initiatives. The ruling allows noncitizens to collect signatures for measures like weed legalization & medicaid expansion. But the law still criminalizes other typical petition activity: boltsmag.org/florida-new-...

The U.S. Supreme Court just said Florida's new immigration law will remain BLOCKED while litigation on the law continues. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/u... How aggressive is the law? @pascalsabino.bsky.social broke it down in February: boltsmag.org/florida-repu...

A federal judge struck down part of Florida's new crackdown on ballot initiatives. The ruling allows noncitizens to collect signatures for measures like weed legalization & medicaid expansion. But the law still criminalizes other typical petition activity: boltsmag.org/florida-new-...

This "discrepancy" was first uncovered by @boltsmag.org and @injusticewatch.org last August. At the time, CPD officials refused to discuss @pascalsabino.bsky.social's findings and a spokesperson stood by their publicly reported figures. Nearly 11 months later, they now say they're working to fix it.

Federal court in North Dakota declined to review a ruling against two tribal nations that declared only the DOJ can sue for voter discrimination. That means ND voters are stuck with an election map that illegally marginalizes Natives, because the DOJ will not intervene

A must read.👇 “From the federal level, they don’t want to deal with us. They are continuously trying to get out of the things they agreed to in these treaties,” he said. “They pass it along to the states, but the states don’t want to deal with us either.” boltsmag.org/voting-right...

NEW: This Virginia city has seen years of heated debate over criminal justice reform. Progressive officials moved to stop adult charges for kids, weed cases, mandatory minimums; it's all run into fierce opposition from other leaders. Then, the reform prosecutor won last week. I wrote about it:

Missouri adopted a law that ends St. Louis’ ability to run its own police, transferring control to the GOP-run state government. The law also requires St. Louis to commit 25% of its budget to policing. boltsmag.org/missour...

In North Dakota, multiple voting rights threats collide that may unravel decades of hard-fought victories in the struggle by tribal nations for fair representation: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

Federal courts have eliminated the right for tribal nations in North Dakota to fight discriminatory election laws, declaring only the Attorney General can sue under the VRA. Meanwhile, Trump's DOJ has abandoned enforcement of voter protections for marginalized groups: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

In North Dakota, multiple voting rights threats collide that may unravel decades of hard-fought victories in the struggle by tribal nations for fair representation: boltsmag.org/voting-right...

San Francisco pulled out of SCAAP a decade ago to end the data exchange w ICE. Immigrant rights organizers closed in on the program after sheriffs lobbied against sanctuary protections out of fear they would lose SCAAP funds if the state blocked them from working w ICE: boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...

Great reporting from @boltsmag.org is a reminder that there is more than one at for a county to work with ICE. Free to read: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

Great reporting from @boltsmag.org is a reminder that there is more than one way for a county to work with ICE. Free to read: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

I really appreciate WaPo jumping off of reporting we did at Bolts in May to spotlight an ICE data-sharing program that many blue counties are part of. Our story was focused on Oakland: boltsmag.org/alameda-coun... @pbump.com graphs just how widespread this is: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

This blue Bay Area county insists it has 'zero contact' with ICE. But it gets $$ for sharing its info with federal immigration authorities. It's all part of a little-known data-sharing program that exists around the country & only some places have quit. really critical new reporting:

San Francisco pulled out of SCAAP a decade ago to end the data exchange w ICE. Immigrant rights organizers closed in on the program after sheriffs lobbied against sanctuary protections out of fear they would lose SCAAP funds if the state blocked them from working w ICE: boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...

California's sanctuary laws ban officers from asking about immigration status or sharing documentation info with ICE. But in Oakland, the Alameda County Sheriff still shares sensitive data with federal immigration agencies — in exchange for over $1 million in funds: boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...

I hope people want to know about upcoming elections because we have a doozy dropping in the morning… as we’re about to enter the year’s busiest (non-November) election stretch.

crucial 🧵 by @pascalsabino.bsky.social on how he ended up reporting on how bright-blue counties are sharing data with ICE:

California's sanctuary laws ban officers from asking about immigration status or sharing documentation info with ICE. But in Oakland, the Alameda County Sheriff still shares sensitive data with federal immigration agencies — in exchange for over $1 million in funds: boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...

The Alameda County Sheriff claims a no-contact policy with ICE: "We are not sharing information.” But the sheriff received over $1 million in federal money last year, in exchange for sensitive info on undocumented people held at the jail. My latest @boltsmag.org boltsmag.org/alameda-coun...

NEW: progressives & reform groups have coalesced around a slate of candidates running for judge in Pittsburgh. Why? They think they'll bring a different perspective to the bench, esp given their experience in public defense, social work, civil rights. A fascinating election to watch... next week:

Attacks on the ballot initiative process are a mainstay in the GOP playbook. But what is so jarring about Florida's new law is that it criminalizes direct democracy, turning ordinary political activity into a felony: boltsmag.org/florida-new-...

So proud of this victory. As usual I would like to thank my haters— I truly could have done it without you but I’m glad y’all were along for the ride.

Missouri Republicans say crime is the reason why the state has ended local control over STL police. But crime has fallen to a historic low. Grassroots organizers say the state takeover is a ploy to shut down the very reforms that have made St Louis safer. boltsmag.org/missouri-sta...

NEW: Chicago police is required to report all police stops to oversight authorities, & local officials have touted a decrease. But: A new investigation finds they're failing to report a ton of spots. How many 'off the book' stops? 200,000 just in 2023.