Interactive Websites
The Democracy Principle
This website highlights constitutional provisions across the nation that contribute to the democracy principle. You can explore the site in two ways: by state or by category. Exploring by category—popular sovereignty, suffrage, government institutions, political equality, direct democracy, and constitutional change—also displays featured cases.
50 Constitutions
This website allows you to explore the Wisconsin Constitution in two ways: by provision, allowing you to view the current text and history of every article and section of the constitution’s text; and by year, allowing you to view amendments and their context by year of adoption.
Briefs
Wisconsin Supreme Court – LeMieux v. Evers Amicus Brief Filed
LeMieux v. Evers – Amicus Brief, Wisconsin Supreme Court On September 17, the State Democracy Research Initiative filed an amicus brief on behalf of Columbia Law School Professor Richard Briffault in LeMieux v. Evers, a case before …
September 18, 2024Washington Supreme Court – Vet Voice Foundation v. Hobbs Amicus Brief Filed
Vet Voice Foundation v. Hobbs – Amicus Brief, Washington Supreme Court On September 16, the State Democracy Research Initiative submitted an amicus brief in Vet Voice Foundation v. Hobbs, a case pending before the Supreme …
September 17, 2024Pennsylvania Supreme Court – BPEP v. Schmidt Amicus Brief Filed
BPEP v. Schmidt – Amicus Brief, Pennsylvania Supreme Court On September 4, the State Democracy Research Initiative submitted an amicus brief in BPEP v. Schmidt, a case pending before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The …
September 5, 2024New 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, …
July 8, 2024Wisconsin 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 …
March 28, 2024Minnesota 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 …
March 4, 2024Wisconsin Supreme Court – Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission Amicus Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On February 8, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed a second amicus brief along with five other legal scholars in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, …
February 9, 2024Wisconsin Supreme Court – Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission Amicus Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On November 8, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed an amicus brief along with five other legal scholars in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, a redistricting case …
November 8, 2023Michigan Supreme Court – Mothering Justice v. Nessel Amicus Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On November 1, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon submitted an amicus brief with four other legal scholars in Mothering Justice v. Nessel, a Michigan Supreme Court …
November 1, 2023Kansas Supreme Court – League of Women Voters v. Schwab Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On October 4, the State Democracy Research Initiative submitted an amici curiae brief on behalf of Professors Richard E. Levy and Stephen R. McAllister of the University of Kansas School of Law …
October 5, 2023- More Briefs posts
Scholarship
Call for Papers: Federalism Scholarship Roundtable
August 23, 2024 The University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative (SDRI) is pleased to announce a Federalism Scholarship Roundtable, to be held on April 25, 2025. The Roundtable will be co-hosted by …
August 23, 2024Wisconsin Law Review Special Issue 2023: “Public Law in the States”
Scholarship | State Democracy Research Initiative
December 18, 2023
Wisconsin Law Review Special Edition featuring papers from our June 2023 ConferenceColumbia Law Review: “State Constitutional Rights and Democratic Proportionality” by Jessica Bulman-Pozen & Miriam Seifter
This Article seeks to begin a new conversation about state constitutional adjudication. It first shows how in myriad defining ways state constitutions differ from the U.S. Constitution. These distinctive founding documents, prizing individual and collective self-determination alike, require their own implementation frameworks—not federal mimicry.
November 22, 2023The Yale Law Journal Forum: “The Right to Amend State Constitutions” by Jessica Bulman-Pozen & Miriam Seifter
This Essay explores the people’s right to amend state constitutions, particularly in states that recognize the constitutional initiative. Together with other democratic rights that appear in state constitutions but not the federal charter, the right to amend recognizes popular sovereignty as an active commitment.
November 13, 2023Wayne Law Review: “Survey of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s Inaugural Redistricting Cycle” by Derek Clinger
As part of the Wayne Law Review’s Annual Survey of Michigan Law, Senior Staff Attorney Derek Clinger surveyed the lawsuits involving the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission during the Commission’s inaugural redistricting cycle (2021-2022)
October 10, 2023Call for Papers: State Courts Scholarship Roundtable
August 28, 2023 The University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative (SDRI) is pleased to announce a Roundtable on State Courts, to be held on April 19, 2024. The Roundtable will be co-hosted …
August 28, 2023Wisconsin Law Review Special Issue 2022: “Interpretation in the States”
Scholarship | State Democracy Research Initiative
November 22, 2022
Wisconsin Law Review Special Edition featuring papers from our June 2022 ConferenceDuke Law Journal: “State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity” by Miriam Seifter
Featured, Scholarship | State Democracy Research Initiative
November 22, 2022
This Article suggests steps that state courts, state officials, and organizers can take to protect state institutions. At the highest level, it shows how a richer theory and discourse surrounding state institutions can advance both state and national democracy.Miriam Seifter Presents Lecture on State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity
Featured | Widener Law Commonwealth
April 11, 2022
John Gedid Lecture Series Presents Miriam Seifter on State Institutions and Democratic Opportunity- More Scholarship posts
Research and 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 …
October 11, 2024Explainer: 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 …
October 7, 2024Call for Papers: Federalism Scholarship Roundtable
August 23, 2024 The University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative (SDRI) is pleased to announce a Federalism Scholarship Roundtable, to be held on April 25, 2025. The Roundtable will be co-hosted by …
August 23, 2024Spotlight 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 …
August 13, 2024Direct 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 …
August 9, 2024Michigan 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 …
July 31, 2024Explainer: 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 …
July 18, 2024Wisconsin 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 …
July 11, 2024White 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 …
July 10, 2024White 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 …
April 12, 2024- More Explainers posts
- More Research posts