Derek Clinger, Senior Staff Attorney PDF Available Here Just weeks after North Carolina Democrats won several prominent statewide offices in the 2024 general election, including governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, the Republican-controlled legislature moved …
Research & Explainers
Research Note: Laches in State Court Election Cases
Harry Isaiah Black, Staff Attorney Published: October 11, 2024 Link to PDF Ahead of Election Day 2024, courts—and especially state courts—continue to be inundated with election-related lawsuits. As in 2020, courts may see a deluge …
Explainer: The Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Noncitizen Voting on Wisconsin’s November General Election Ballot
Bree Grossi Wilde, Executive Director PDF Available Here As part of the November 5th election, Wisconsin voters will be asked for the fifth time this year whether to amend the Wisconsin Constitution. In April, voters …
Spotlight on Democracy: The Michigan Supreme Court’s 2023-2024 Term
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 …
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 …
Explainer: The Proposed Constitutional Amendments on Federal Funding Appearing on Wisconsin’s August Primary Ballot
Bryna Godar, Staff Attorney PDF Available Here In August, Wisconsin voters will see two proposed state constitutional amendments on their ballots, both aimed at increasing the legislature’s role in allocating federal funds received by the …
Wisconsin Supreme Court 2023 Term Review and 2024 Preview
Bryna Godar, Staff Attorney PDF Available Here This year’s Wisconsin Supreme Court term saw the smallest number of cases ever decided by the court. The court issued a total of 14 opinions,[1] compared to upwards …
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 …
White Paper: Shadow Shadow Dockets
Adam Sopko, Staff Attorney Published: April 12, 2024 Link to PDF Introduction In recent years, legal commentators have analyzed—and often criticized—the U.S. Supreme Court’s “shadow docket.”[1] Rulings on this docket proceed without the usual, public-facing …