💥BIG NEWS: We're launching a new contributor program! You can expect monthly articles from experts, advocates and leaders about the threats our democracy is facing and how we tackle them. Learn more about our inaugural five contributors.⤵️
.@BrooksRakim is an attorney and president of @AFJustice dedicated to creating a fair judiciary that accurately represents America. In his column, he'll explain the court reforms needed to ensure liberty and justice for all.
An independent journalist and attorney, @JessPish has been covering how states and localities nationwide increasingly use law enforcement to police election activities. She'll tell you why that's detrimental to our democracy.
As the executive director of @TXFutureProject and co-founder of @VoteSimpleNow, @delilah_agho works to expand voting access in Texas. In her column, Delilah will explain how what happens in the Lone Star State can impact the whole country.
.@hill_charlotte focuses on how voter suppression and election subversion disempower and take voices away from voters. Her work will cover the structural policy changes required to protect our democracy.
Ohio has become a hotbed for attacks on democracy, fair maps and voting rights. In her column, @KatyAShanahan, an attorney and voting rights activist, will break down what's going on in Ohio and what it means for the United States.
You can expect to hear from our contributors every month! Check out the first piece from @BrooksRakim explaining the inflection point the U.S. Supreme Court is facing and the dueling visions of the Constitution within the court. democracydocket.com/opinion/two-vi…
Subscribe to our free newsletter so you don't miss any of our contributor articles or news about democracy: democracydocket.com/subscribe
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STARTING SOON: Lawsuits challenging a new Tennessee law that would force Nashville to cut its metro council in half are in court today. The plaintiffs are asking the court to block enforcement of the law as litigation continues.
The conservative majority of the Shasta County, California Board of Supervisors voted to hand count all ballots during the next election, despite warnings from the state's attorney general that the move violates federal law. democracydocket.com/news-alerts/th…
The Shasta County clerk warned that if the supervisors took the drastic step of adopting a full hand count, the process would cost $1.6 million at a minimum and require 1300 staff members to implement.
While it's not clear what will unfold in the immediate future in Shasta County, it is clear that the county’s conservative majority is taking a page out of the Cochise County, Arizona playbook and creating chaos in the name of “election integrity.”
Two voting rights cases are paused pending an 8th Circuit decision about whether private individuals and groups can sue to enforce crucial sections of the Voting Rights Act. The decision could cause major ramifications for voters.🧵 democracydocket.com/news-alerts/vo…
Conservatives are pushing a theory that only the DOJ — and not voters and voting groups — can challenge some voter suppression laws. If the court adopts this idea, some of the most critical voting rights protections would become ineffective. democracydocket.com/analysis/the-c…
This legal concept is known as a private right of action and has become conservatives' latest target to undermine free and fair elections. Learn more in our podcast about how this theory could upend voting rights protections. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…
BREAKING: SCOTUS will NOT review a petition claiming that the Kansas Supreme Court used the wrong legal standards to review Kansas' congressional map. The petition is from a lawsuit alleging that the map dilutes the voting strength of voters of color. democracydocket.com/cases/kansas-c…
The petitioners claimed that the Kansas Supreme Court erroneously conflated 2 separate redistricting claims: the 14th Amendment and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The 14th Amendment prohibits *intentional* racial discrimination in redistricting.
Section 2 of the VRA prohibits redistricting decisions that have the *effect* of racial discrimination; it's not necessary to prove lawmakers' intent.
The distinction between the principles is important as different tests & precedents govern the claims brought under these laws.
BREAKING: Arizona Supreme Court denies 6 of the 7 claims that Kari Lake made in her elections contest appeal. The remaining claim, about if Maricopa County properly followed signature matching rules, is remanded to the trial court for consideration. democracydocket.com/cases/arizona-…
The Arizona Supreme Court sent Lake’s claims about signature matching back to the trial court. The trial court will have to determine if the claim should be dismissed or fully litigated according to AZ's procedural rules.
This is not entirely the end of Lake's election contest, but it will continue on significantly narrowed grounds on one claim about if Maricopa County followed its signature matching rules for mail-in ballots during the 2022 gubernatorial election.
NEW: The parties in Moore v. Harper submitted briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing whether or not the Court still has jurisdiction to hear Moore given that the North Carolina Supreme Court reopened the underlying state-level case.👇🧵 democracydocket.com/news-alerts/pa…
The U.S. Supreme Court asked all parties in Moore to address the following question: Does the Court still have the legal authority, or jurisdiction, to decide the case?
This is the case in which Republicans are trying to advance the so-called independent state legislature (ISL) theory, which argues that state legislatures have the sole authority to enact rules regulating federal elections without review from state courts: democracydocket.com/isl