State of the Union Bingo! 2023 Edition (Blog) 2/7/2023 Democracy is not a game — but hey, we might as well have fun where we can! Join us in tracking the anticipated buzzwords for 2023's State of…
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About American Voting Rights? (Blog) 1/18/2023 The fight for voting rights is ongoing. One way to fight for a stronger future is to make sure we're up to date on our history. How well will you do…, 3. The following are forms of legalized racial discrimination that effectively barred Black people from the polls... a. Poll taxes b. Literacy…, 7. Women had the right to vote in this territory as early as 1869... a. Wyoming b. New Mexico c. Nevada d. Washington 8. The following voting…
Women, Girls, and Climate Change at COP27 (Blog) 1/10/2023 Disclaimer: This blog post references conversations about “women and girls” that generally focused on cisgender people. Trans and nonbinary folks and…, Gender and the Impact of Climate Change At COP27’s side events focused on gender and climate change, speakers across multiple panels explained…, Limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights results in reduced spacing between births and increased unplanned or undesired…, Women must also be involved in climate change response decision-making, as their participation is associated with better climate action and outcomes…, The UN writes that “climate justice... looks at the climate crisis through a human rights lens.” People who are most impacted by climate change are…
11 Ways You Protected Democracy in 2022! (Blog) 12/15/2022 2022 was a groundbreaking year in our democracy. We witnessed: a midterm election where voters came out in droves to take a stand against…, 1. You Protected 17.7 Million Voters with Legal Action With anti-voter laws on the rise in the wake of the 2020 election, you supported our work on…, 4. You Implemented Fair Congressional Maps 2022 marked the end of the most recent redistricting cycle, during which congressional maps were drawn…, 8. You Learned More About SCOTUS Rulings, Election Laws, and More In a year filled with legal-ese and complex political strategy, you stayed…
Voter Challenge Laws as a Suppression Tactic (Blog) 12/13/2022 This blog was written by legal intern Clay Goetz. “You can’t vote here.” In some states, a verbal accusation like that is all it takes to challenge…, Pre-election challenges question a voter’s eligibility to be registered to vote. They strain the resources of the officials preparing for an election…, The Gwinnett County Board of Registrations and Elections was forced to go through each of the 37,500 claims to assess its merits just months before…, In May 2011, in Southbridge, Massachusetts, baseless challenges were filed against Latino/a voters by partisan poll watchers, leading to emergency…
The Latest Threat to the Voting Rights Act: Merrill v. Milligan (now Allen v. Milligan) (Blog) 12/8/2022 *On June 8, 2023, SCOTUS reached a positive ruling in this case, upholding a lower court ruling that Alabama must create a second majority Black…, The VRA created remarkable remedies and protections to ensure that no one is prevented from participating in the political process because of their…, Cases brought under Section 2 have historically involved two types of violations: 1) Vote dilution; and 2) Vote denial…, Merrill v. Milligan is a straightforward vote dilution case, with an outcome dictated by Supreme Court precedent. As Justice Kagan noted during oral…
Ketanji Brown Jackson Brings Needed Public Defense Experience to SCOTUS (Blog) 12/2/2022 In June 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson — the first Black woman to serve on the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) — was sworn in as an associate justice. Justice…, Throughout the history of the Supreme Court, most of its justices have been former prosecutors. More precisely, over the past 100 years, 54% of the…, In the October 2021 term, the Court decided several cases involving Fourth Amendment “seizures” and the “community caretaking doctrine.” …
Native American Activist You Should Know: Naelyn Pike (Blog) 11/29/2022 November is Native American Heritage Month — a time to honor and celebrate the traditions, contributions, and accomplishments of our Native…, Once our nation learned about Resolution Copper and their plan to mine our holy site, Oak Flat, that became another battle my people now face. This…
What is a Runoff Election? (Blog) 11/16/2022 On December 6, 2022, Georgians will cast their votes in a runoff election for the position of US Senator. A similar event occurred in 2021, when…, The Racist History of Runoffs Georgia's runoff system has unfortunately been associated with a history of racist voter suppression. The…
Reproductive Rights Are on the Ballot (Blog) 11/1/2022 In June 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and…, Which States Have Reproductive Rights on the Ballot? Kansas Unlike the other five ballot measures, Kansas voters already voted on a…, Montana Montana voters will vote on a legislatively referred state statute (LR-131), known as the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act. Adoption…, Michigan’s Constitution currently protects the rights to equal protection and due process. A Michigan court pointed to these rights to block the…