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"University of Wisconsin Law School professor Robert Yablon describes standards of recusal for judges and justices as requests for the action increase in response to campaign donations and statements."

"For this episode, Bridget joins the podcast to provide a deep dive into the difficulties of researching, explaining, and influencing state-level cases and statutes. Bridget highlights how it is SDRI’s mission to fill the gap in legal research by focusing on state constitutions and state-level democracy. One great example is Bridget’s explainer about whether states can prohibit Federal agents from masking while on the job, updated to include recent case decisions."

"Proposals to prohibit federal immigration agents from masking their faces have gained new life in states — thanks in part to a court ruling that blocked the nation’s first such law, in California."

"Michigan was one of several states that refused to share its voter rolls with the federal government. Now, it may be the most likely to have to defend that decision in higher courts — potentially even the U.S. Supreme Court."

"Derek Clinger, a senior attorney with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s State Democracy Research Initiative, told WPR the federal government’s use of the Civil Rights Act is an interesting approach."

"While the Justice Department now claims the security and sanctity of upcoming elections necessitates the need for speed, the department hasn’t alleged any states are violating federal voter list maintenance requirements, said Derek Clinger, senior counsel and director of partnerships at the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School."

"The Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2025 upheld Gov. Tony Evers’ use of the partial veto to convert a two-year funding increase for schools into one that would last 2,425 years, prompting Republican lawmakers to propose a constitutional amendment limiting the governor’s veto power on the November 2026 ballot, according to the court’s majority opinion in LeMieux v. Evers."

"Trump cannot simply mandate that the federal government take over election administration in a state or local jurisdiction, says Derek Clinger, senior counsel and director of partnerships at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative."

"The Wisconsin Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that highlights how judges can apply different interpretations of the law and constitution to suit their ideological viewpoints."

"A California law aimed at prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks was struck down in court earlier this year. The carve-out that led to the successful Trump administration challenge came out of negotiations between the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Scott Wiener. Newsom and Wiener have said they were proud to pass the first attempt at an ICE mask ban, and efforts to pass a new version are underway."