A Utah judge last night rejected a congressional map proposed by Republican legislators in the state and instead selected an alternative that will create a Democratic-leaning district anchored in Salt Lake County, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

In short, federal officials do not have blanket immunity from state criminal prosecutions for on-the-job acts.

Wondering who is voting on what today? Check out @boltsmag.org's election guide:

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...

A Wisconsin circuit judge today stayed his ruling that would have required the Wisconsin Elections Commission to conduct citizenship checks of voters beyond what is required in state statute. The order is also being challenged on appeal. www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...

The Hastie Fellowship is a two-year program supporting aspiring scholars preparing for a career in law teaching. Learn about the program from previous Hastie Fellows: buff.ly/75YTzc4. Interested in the program? Learn more and apply: buff.ly/ib0bu6H.

In analyzing Miller's comments, @politifact.bsky.social cites our piece explaining that "while Supremacy Clause immunity grants federal officials a partial shield from state prosecution, that immunity is not absolute." For more, see the full explainer: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...

Next week, voters in six states will consider ballot measures regarding redistricting, voting, gun laws, parental rights, taxes, and more. @erings.bsky.social breaks down key measures we're tracking, including CA's Prop 50, which could impact control of the US House after the 2026 elections.

We filed a brief yesterday explaining that the Constitution’s structure envisions an active role for states in redressing the constitutional violations of federal actors and, historically, state-level causes of action were the primary way for individuals to recover for injuries by federal actors.

@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...

A Wisconsin court ruled Friday that the elections commission has to adopt new U.S. citizen verification procedures for voter registrants but did not specify what those procedures must be. Defendants filed a stay motion pending appeal, appeal to come.

As states start to pass laws banning law enforcement from wearing masks, @bridgetlavender.bsky.social has an explainer on the constitutionality of such laws as applied to ICE and other federal law enforcement officers: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202.... The short answer: it's complicated.

After a few months of uncertainty and Justice Rebecca Bradley bowing out, the WI Supreme Court race now has two candidates. Court of Appeals Judge Maria Lazar announced her campaign today. She'll be running against another member of the appeals court, Judge Chris Taylor. apnews.com/article/wisc...

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):

States have a long history of charging federal actors under state criminal laws, particularly during periods of heightened tensions over issues like prohibition, slavery, and integration. My latest piece covers this history and explains when state prosecutions can proceed.

For years, Wisconsin has been an outlier in how much power its legislative committees wield. The Evers v. Marklein decision struck down several of those powers, bringing Wisconsin more in line with other states on the question of legislative vetoes.

Thanks to the enormous efforts of @ewlau.bsky.social and others on the SDRI team, there are now fourteen states with full constitutional histories, letting you track changes over time. More are in progress. Check it out at 50constitutions.org.

In addition to the abortion case, this explainer covers several election cases and four major separation-of-powers cases involving the partial veto, administrative rulemaking, and the AG's power to settle civil lawsuits.

📣 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

After the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to directly hear several cases challenging Wisconsin's congressional maps, one group is now starting the case in trial court. The lawsuit argues that the maps are an anti-competitive gerrymander and therefore unconstitutional. apnews.com/article/wisc...

A federal magistrate judge recommended the case proceed against WI Judge Hannah Dugan, who is facing criminal charges for allegedly escorting a man out of her courtroom through a back door in April after learning ICE agents were there to arrest him. pbswisconsin.org/news-item/fe...

The committee had used its powers to block a ban on conversion therapy and changes to the state’s commercial building standards for years. This ruling removes major hurdles for those rules and marks a significant change in the state's rulemaking process going forward.

There is still time to register!

In light of its ruling, the court also dismissed a related case that claimed a near-total-ban on abortion would have violated the Wisconsin Constitution. The decisions leave open the question of whether there is a constitutional right to abortion in the state. www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

The ruling resolves the post-Dobbs question of whether there is a near-total ban on abortion in Wisconsin. The court held that there is not, affirming a lower court decision that had reached a similar conclusion two years ago.

This case is an important one amid the ongoing budget process. Republican legislators are currently trying to avoid the partial veto by passing laws without funding so that they don't count as appropriations bills: wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/19/b...

The 5-2 decision holds that DNR does not need to promulgate rules in order to apply the Spills Law to PFAS or other substances: www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/D...

Since 2018, WI DOJ has been required to submit most civil settlements for pre-approval from the powerful Joint Committee on Finance. The court upheld that general arrangement in 2020 but ruled here that it is unconstitutional for certain subsets of cases.

Republicans Reject Funding for Wisconsin Supreme Court Security

After Musk paid voters in Wisconsin's April supreme court election, groups are suing to stop him from repeating the tactic in future elections. The complaint is available here: www.lawforward.org/wp-content/u...

Want to learn more about state supreme courts? Check out our virtual + live panel from 9-10:30 CT tomorrow (5/30) with five state supreme court justices from around the country. Approved for WI and MN CLE credit. More info and registration here: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/event/public...

Musk spent at least $3 million on the April Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and PACs he funds spent $19 million more. apnews.com/article/wisc...

Judge Chris Taylor is officially challenging Justice Rebecca Bradley in next year's Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Taylor is a former legislator and is currently a WI Court of Appeals judge. www.channel3000.com/news/judge-c...

New Wisconsin case filed challenging the state's congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Plaintiffs are asking the WI Supreme Court to take the case directly as an original action: www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/u...

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, in an extraordinary video, says that every American should be concerned about “chilling” suggestions from Trump's border adviser that he could be arrested over guidance issued to state employees about what to do if confronted by ICE agents apnews.com/article/wisc...

NEW: Australia is voting tomorrow... & it'll use its system of MANDATORY voting. In fact, this is the centennial of the first time this was used! I talked to an Australian scholar and author of a book on compulsory voting to learn more about it all, & why she thinks it's not a thing in the US:

No official challengers yet in the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court race where Justice Rebecca Bradley is up for reelection, but WI Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor has said she is considering running. Court of Appeals Judge Pedro Colón was also considering running but has since decided not to.

The full report is available here: www.wicourts.gov/news/docs/st...

Someone leaked a draft Wisconsin Supreme Court order on abortion. After a $165,000 probe, investigators report they can't determine who was responsible. apnews.com/4d755e07ce81...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court yesterday "temporarily relieved" Judge Dugan of her official duties while the federal criminal charges are pending wisconsinexaminer.com/briefs/wisco...

State court clerkships often fly under the radar. That's why @statecourtreport.bsky.social released a new resource identifying clerkship opportunities from 19 states and over 95 justices. We have info on application requirements, deadlines, etc. Check it out! statecourtreport.org/state-judici...

New: The Supreme Court will NOT block a 6th Circuit decision ordering Ohio to place a measure on the ballot that would abolish qualified immunity for state officers. Ohio officials tried to kill it by falsely claiming its summary was misleading. Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh note their dissents.

There will likely be more partial veto litigation to come. Justice Dallet's concurrence says she is "open to revisiting" the court's partial veto jurisprudence, and the three-justice dissent therefore notes "a majority of this court agrees something may be amiss in our partial veto jurisprudence."

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...

The shouting match arose when Spindell pivoted from discussing the uncounted Madison ballots from November to discussing Milwaukee election administration, an item that wasn't on the agenda.

Our fantastic program coordinator is off to law school, so we're looking for someone to replace him this summer. Please share the listing!

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....

NEWS: Retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is going out on top. Her colleagues elected her today to serve a two-month stint as chief justice. Justice Jill Karofsky will become chief this summer after AWB steps back from the role in anticipation of retirement.

Musk's PAC removed a video where $1M recipient said: "I did exactly what Elon Musk told everyone to do: sign the petition, refer friends and family, vote, and now I have a million dollars." In a new video, she says the same thing, except the word "vote." www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...