State Courts
Washington 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 …
Pennsylvania 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 …
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 …
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 …
Derek Clinger in Bolts: Senior Staff Attorney discusses national implications of major direct democracy rulings from the Michigan and Utah Supreme Courts.
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 …
Miriam Seifter in WPR: Faculty Co-Director Seifter explains how The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling in Evers v. Marklein limits the veto powers of legislative committees.
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 …