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...

In any other American era, Brad Schimel’s concession to Susan Crawford wouldn’t be considered unusual. But it stands out at a time when the nation’s politics have opened a fissure between those who trust election results and those who don’t. apnews.com/article/wisc...

REMINDER: Wisconsin has same-day voter registration. So, if you haven’t registered or recently moved or anything like that, you can register at your polling place (with ID and proof of residence) TODAY. Every state should do this. It’s great that Wisconsin does this. Go vote.

Unsure why there's a voter ID question on Wisconsin ballots tomorrow when we already have voter ID laws? Check out our explainer to learn why lawmakers are seeking to add voter ID requirements to the state constitution and how that would make it harder to change voter ID laws going forward.

Do you have what you need to vote in Madison tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1? We have a Voter Guide that can help. Pass it on to friends and family! isthmus.com/vote

With election day tomorrow, we're up to more than $90 million spent in the WI Supreme Court race. Musk's America PAC has spent more in the race than Schimel's own campaign. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Justices Dallet, Karofsky didn't offer a rationale for rejecting recusal motions. Still, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley wrote "rule of necessity overrides recusal in this instance.” Doctrine states a judge can hear a case they shouldn't otherwise if court would be left w/out a quorum.

WI AG Kaul is now asking the WI Supreme Court to stop Musk from giving out two $1 million payments at his rally tonight, arguing it amounts to election bribery. Lower courts have declined to intervene so far. www.wispolitics.com/2025/kaul-as...

Wisconsin AG Kaul has filed a civil lawsuit against Elon Musk and America PAC, seeking to halt them from offering $1 million each to two Wisconsinites for voting in Tuesday's state supreme court election. Complaint here: www.wisdoj.gov/PressRelease...

The civil case by Wisconsin's attorney general seeking an injunction against Elon Musk has been filed in Dane County and randomly assigned to: Judge Crawford, the woman running for Supreme Court. She's recused herself.

Musk deleted a prior post offering two $1 million checks to people who had already voted, a plan that almost certainly violates Wisconsin's election bribery statute. He later wrote that he will instead give the checks "to 2 people to be spokesmen" for a petition against activist judges.

Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday deleted a social media post in which he had announced plans to hold a rally in Wisconsin to “personally hand over” $2 million to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the state’s Supreme Court race. apnews.com/article/wisc...

In the positive election news front, one of Wisconsin's most Republican counties has helped municipalities significantly expanded early voting hours, making voting far more accessible.

Elon Musk Appears to Be Breaking Wisconsin Law Against Vote Buying in Offering a Chance to Win $1 Million to Anyone Who Voted in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race electionlawblog.org?p=149196