Our Work

Utah Supreme Court – League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature Amicus Brief Filed

Featured, Briefs | State Democracy Research Initiative
On Friday, we filed a brief on behalf of Professor Bertrall L. Ross II in the Utah Supreme Court.

Michigan Supreme Court – Mothering Justice v. Nessel Amicus Brief Filed

Briefs | Michigan Supreme Court

United States Supreme Court – Moore v. Harper Amicus Brief Filed

Featured, Briefs | State Democracy Research Initiative
On October 26th, 2022, the State Democracy Research Initiative filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Moore v. Harper.

Michigan Court of Appeals – Mothering Justice v. Attorney General Amicus Brief Filed

The State Democracy Research Initiative’s Miriam Seifter and Robert Yablon, along with four other scholars of state constitutional law and democracy, have filed an amicus brief in the Michigan Court of Appeals court case Mother …

Delaware Supreme Court – Higgin v. Albence Amicus Brief Filed

Briefs | Delaware Supreme Court
"The State Democracy Research Initiative's Miriam Seifter and Robert Yablon, along with seven other national recognized legal scholars in expertise on state constitutional law, have submitted an amicus brief in the case Higgin v. Albence before the Delaware Supreme Court."

Miriam Seifter and Other Legal Scholars File Amicus Curiae Brief in Wisconsin Case Involving State Non-Delegation Doctrine

Featured | Wisconsin Supreme Court
Seven administrative law and state and local government law professors filed a brief in the Jeffrey Becker v. Dane County case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Court had ordered supplemental briefing on whether to reconsider and modify the state non-delegation doctrine. The brief emphasized that local governments are not subject to the same delegation limits that apply at the state or national level. Signers included Richard Briffault, Nestor Davidson, Rick Hills, Maria Ponomarenko, Erin Scharff, Richard Schragger, and Miriam Seifter.

Rob Yablon and Other Legal Scholars File Amicus Curiae Brief in Wisconsin Redistricting Case

Featured | Wisconsin Supreme Court
Rob Yablon and seven other legal scholars submitted an amicus curiae brief in the Wisconsin redistricting case of Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, calling for the court to reject all party-submitted maps and produce their own more neutral plans with the help of a nonpartisan expert, or to let a federal court act.

Wisconsin Law Review Special Issue 2022: “Interpretation in the States”

Scholarship | State Democracy Research Initiative
Wisconsin Law Review Special Edition featuring papers from our June 2022 Conference

Duke Law Journal: “State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity” by Miriam Seifter

Featured, Scholarship | State Democracy Research Initiative

Miriam Seifter Presents Lecture on State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity

Featured | Widener Law Commonwealth
John Gedid Lecture Series Presents Miriam Seifter on State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity

Rob Yablon Publishes Op-Ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Wisconsin Supreme Court is wrong to preserve gerrymandered electoral maps”

In the Media, Featured | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"The Wisconsin Supreme Court has set the stage for another decade of gerrymandered electoral maps."

Rob Yablon Discusses Redistricting Case Before the Wisconsin Supreme Court

In the Media | WPR, Central Time
"How the Wisconsin Supreme Court might redraw the state's legislative maps"

Wisconsin Law Review Special Issue 2021: “Public Law in the States”

Featured | Wisconsin Law Review
Special Issue: Public Law in the States

Robert Yablon’s new article, “Gerrylaundering,” now available on SSRN

In the Media, Featured | NYU Law Review (Forthcoming, 2022)
As they carry out their decennial redistricting duties, those in power sometimes audaciously manipulate district lines to secure an electoral advantage. In other words, they gerrymander.

Rob Yablon presents on State Courts and State Constitutions in the US Legal Landscape

In the Media | Indiana Law Webinars
Professor Robert Yablon (University of Wisconsin Law School) presents "State Courts and State Constitutions in the US Legal Landscape."

At the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Marsy’s Law survives as the justices clash over constitutional interpretation

Featured, Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
The Wisconsin Constitution requires the legislature to present proposed constitutional amendments to the people for a vote. In a decision out today,

Election-Litigation Data: 2018, 2020, 2022 State and Federal Court Filings

Research & Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative

Redistricting Redux? How the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election is reviving questions about the state’s gerrymandered maps

Featured, Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
Wisconsin’s 2023 state supreme court race has drawn attention in part because of its potential to reshape another branch of state government: the legislature.

The “Biggest” Election of 2023: What to Know about the Upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

Featured, Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
Wisconsin’s upcoming supreme court election is drawing nationwide attention, with some calling it the country’s “biggest” and “most important” race of the year.

Supreme Court of North Carolina: 2022 Review and 2023 Preview

Featured, Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
North Carolina spent much of the year in the national legal spotlight due to Moore v. Harper, the prominent U.S. Supreme Court case that could limit the authority of state courts and state constitutions over federal elections through the controversial “independent state legislature theory.”

Constitutional Norms and State Judicial Confirmations

Featured, Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
For the first time since New York adopted its current judicial appointment process over 40 years ago, the state senate’s Judiciary Committee has rejected a governor’s nominee to the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania: 2022 Review and 2023 Preview

Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has closed the book on its 2022 sessions and will soon begin hearing cases in 2023. This report considers notable decisions from 2022 and previews key cases coming up in 2023.

Democracy-Related Ballot Measures in 2022 – and A Look Ahead

Featured, Explainers, Research & Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
In 2022, voters in 38 states weighed in on 140 statewide ballot measures.

Analysis: Unpacking Ohio’s flawed “supermajority” proposal for ballot initiatives

Featured, Explainers, Research & Explainers | State Democracy Research Initiative
Ohio’s lame duck General Assembly is considering a proposal (HJR6) that asks Ohioans to limit their own power to amend the state’s constitution.

Election Litigation Research Data, October 2022