By Derek Clinger, Senior Staff Attorney* PDF Available Here The Michigan Supreme Court finished its 2023-2024 term in July, wrapping up a year in which the court decided several cases that will likely leave lasting …
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Direct Democracy in State Court: Judicial Approaches to Ballot Initiative Conflicts
Allie Boldt, Legal Research Director Published: August 9, 2024 Link to PDF Introduction In roughly half of U.S. states, state constitutions confer rights of direct democracy, allowing the people to make law directly through statutes …
Michigan Supreme Court Strikes Down Legislature’s Attempt to Thwart State’s Direct Democracy Power
Derek Clinger, Senior Staff Attorney Published: July 31, 2024 PDF Available Here Today, in a highly anticipated decision, the Michigan Supreme Court held that the Michigan Legislature violated the state constitution when it used a …
White Paper: State Judicial Conduct Commissions—The Challenge of Judging Judges
Bryna Godar, Staff Attorney Published: July 10, 2024 Updated: July 30, 2024 Link to PDF Introduction This report analyzes an often-overlooked set of state entities that hold substantial power: judicial conduct commissions.[1] These entities, which …
New York Court of Appeals – Stefanik v. Hochul Amicus Brief Filed
Stefanik v. Hochul – Amicus Brief, New York Court of Appeals On July 3, the State Democracy Research Initiative submitted an amicus brief in Stefanik v. Hochul, a case pending before New York’s highest court, …
Miriam Seifter in The New Yorker: Faculty Co-Director Seifter’s Democracy Principle theory is featured in a piece on the promise of state constitutions.
Wisconsin Supreme Court – Evers v. Marklein Amicus Brief Filed
Evers v. Marklein – Amicus Brief, Wisconsin Supreme Court On March 27, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed an amicus brief along with six other legal scholars in …
Explainer: Status of Partisan Gerrymandering Claims Across the Country
Harry Isaiah Black, Staff Attorney PDF Available Here Every 10 years, following the federal census, states are required to redraw their congressional and legislative district maps. In the majority of states, the duty to redistrict …
Minnesota Supreme Court – MVA v. Hunt Amicus Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On March 1, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed an amicus brief in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Hunt, a case pending before the Minnesota Supreme …
Supreme Court of North Carolina: 2023 Review and 2024 Preview
Emily Lau, Staff Attorney PDF Available Here The North Carolina Supreme Court had an eventful 2023. Its recent decisions reflect changes in the court’s view of its own role, its relationship with the other branches …