Brennan Center

Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information The Trump administration is pressing state officials to provide sensitive information about voters.

The Brennan Center is tracking these lawsuits and keeping tabs on which states turn over sensitive voter data to DOJ: 3/3

The brief urges for the suit to be dismissed. It's one of 30 lawsuits filed by DOJ and part of an unprecedented nationwide effort to force states to turn over private voter data. Secretaries of state of both parties are refusing to turn over this sensitive data to DOJ. 2/3

The Brennan Center and @campaignlegal.org just filed a brief in the DOJ’s lawsuit against the AZ secretary of state over obtaining the state’s voter file. The DOJ is seeking access to highly sensitive voter info, incl. partial Social Security numbers. Read: 1/3

What Does War with Iran Have to Do with Elections? The administration is sending alarming signals about the midterms.

The attacks on Iran cannot be used as an excuse by the president to manipulate the midterms. bit.ly/40IBng0

Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump

NYT reports pardons going to the wealthy and politically connected who can pay $$ for insider lobbyists.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...

Lawmakers renewed their push to pass the SAVE Act, which would block millions of Americans from voting. It failed before — and it must fail again. Tell your senators to stop this attack on the freedom to vote: bit.ly/4tmVIor

Virginia Lawmakers Should Pass Citizens United Trigger Law Challenging the Supreme Court’s mistaken Citizens United ruling will help spur legal change and curb the influence of big money in state politics.

Virginia could be one of the first states to deploy an underutilized tool in the road toward undoing the Supreme Court’s erroneous campaign finance rulings. Here’s how it would work: bit.ly/3OYOEOV

Chief Justice Roberts’s Vendetta Against the Voting Rights Act He’s been railing against it since the early 1980s.

Brennan Senior Fellow Jesse Wegman (former NY Times ed board member) traces the decades-long campaign of John Roberts to dismantle the Voting Rights Act: bit.ly/4uduYXR

Can a president cancel elections? "Absolutely not,” Wendy Weiser says about emergency powers and elections on the latest Briefing with Michael Waldman. bit.ly/4baHtLa

Supreme Court Abuse of the Shadow Docket Under Trump The Court has sided with the administration 80 percent of the time when making “emergency” rulings, often without revealing its reasoning.

The Supreme Court should be a bulwark for the rule of law. Instead, it’s abusing the “shadow docket” to break with precedent and expand presidential powers in unprecedented ways. bit.ly/4cybln3

What to Know About Clerking on a State Supreme Court Judges from high courts across the country share insights for law students and recent graduates.

Are you a law student or recent graduate looking for clerkship opportunities?

State Court Report is hosting an event on everything you need to know about clerking on a state supreme court. Judges from high courts across the country will share insights for law students and recent graduates. RSVP:

The Bygone Era of Supreme Court Support for Voting Rights Sixty years after upholding the Voting Rights Act, the Court has dismantled most of it.

Tomorrow marks the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. It also marks the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court first upholding the Voting Rights Act.

We have gotten so, so far away from a Court that cares about democracy.

New from me at @brennancenter.org:

The Bygone Era of Supreme Court Support for Voting Rights Sixty years after upholding the Voting Rights Act, the Court has dismantled most of it.

Sixty years ago, the Supreme Court upheld the Voting Rights Act to protect Americans of all races, ethnicities, and language backgrounds from discriminatory election rules. Even if today’s justices refuse to do the same, we must continue the fight to protect the vote.
bit.ly/4lagoMy

Minnesota Lawmakers Can Act Now to Protect Themselves and Their Constituents Improving security measures at the state capitol complex would help combat political violence and protect free speech rights.

Here are the most important safety reforms Minnesota lawmakers can enact to make the state capitol safer, for the sake of themselves and their constituents.
bit.ly/4u2U0su

State Courts Interpret the Meaning of Public Education The Kentucky Supreme Court's decision striking down the state's charter school law comes amid a broader wave of cases examining how state constitutions define the boundaries of school choice.

“We cannot sell the people of Kentucky a mule and call it a horse,” the court said, “even if we believe the public needs a mule.” - The Kentucky Supreme Court, ruling public funds can't go to charter schools. Read more in @aliciabannon.bsky.social's essay on recent school funding cases.

Executive Overreach in a Time of War The war in the Middle East launched by President Trump continues to unfold. Underneath the headlines and the chaos, something else is going on. Recent report...

Election deniers inside and outside the White House are trying to exploit this moment to cite national security as a rationale for undermining U.S. elections. Brennan Center experts explain what must be done to ensure elections remain free and fair. Watch:
bit.ly/3OPfFV6

Congress Is Overwhelmed and Incompetent - Christianity Today Self-interested and self-loathing, it’s unable to represent the American people well. A new book suggests solutions.

@christianitytoday.com reviewed my book STUCK today:"The book is most useful..when Kornberg identifies the...changes Gingrich implemented to push most power into the House speaker’s office, changes she notes Democrats turned around and kept in place." www.christianitytoday.com/2026/03/cong...

Minnesota Lawmakers Can Act Now to Protect Themselves and Their Constituents Improving security measures at the state capitol complex would help combat political violence and protect free speech rights.

Minnesota and other states can implement these security measures to help lawmakers and the public alike feel safe to engage in the democratic process:
bit.ly/4u2U0su

Executive Overreach in a Time of War The war in the Middle East launched by President Trump continues to unfold. Underneath the headlines and the chaos, something else is going on. Recent report...

The conflict in Iran has intensified efforts to undermine U.S. elections. Brennan Center experts break down the legal stakes and what must be done to keep elections free and fair on The Briefing with Michael Waldman. bit.ly/3NlVVb4

As @amostoh.bsky.social and I explain, the Pentagon's dispute with Anthropic should not distract from the broader crisis at hand: Congress's failure to regulate some of the riskiest uses of AI - namely, amplifying surveillance and automating the use of lethal force.

New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting The “show your papers” requirement is an attack on the freedom to vote.

The SAVE Act would require American citizens to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Our research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents.

How ICE’s Budget Boom Is Changing Immigration Detention Last year’s multibillion-dollar funding package has allowed the government to put more immigrants behind bars, often in worse conditions and with little oversight.

2025 was the deadliest year for people in ICE custody in two decades, with at least 32 deaths. Yet the Trump administration is focusing on reducing oversight of its immigration detention operations. bit.ly/4qWSVQ4

What to Know About Clerking on a State Supreme Court Judges from high courts across the country share insights for law students and recent graduates.

LAW STUDENTS & RECENT GRADS: Interested in a state supreme court clerkship? Join us on March 19 at 3pm ET for a virtual event where you can hear from justices across the country about the application process and what it's like to clerk. Register below! www.brennancenter.org/events/what-...

Virginia Lawmakers Should Pass Citizens United Trigger Law Challenging the Supreme Court’s mistaken Citizens United ruling will help spur legal change and curb the influence of big money in state politics.

Trigger laws enabled some states to ban abortion the second the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now Virginia is considering one that would limit political spending if the Court ever overturns Citizen United. bit.ly/3OYOEOV

President Trump is using the crisis in Iran in an attempt to undermine confidence in U.S. elections. We must ensure the conflict does not serve as an excuse to meddle with the midterms. Stay informed by subscribing to The Briefing, our free weekly newsletter: bit.ly/3Yrz5jM

What Does War with Iran Have to Do with Elections? The administration is sending alarming signals about the midterms.

The attacks on Iran cannot be used as an excuse by the president to manipulate the midterms. bit.ly/40IBng0

Supreme Court Abuse of the Shadow Docket Under Trump The Court has sided with the administration 80 percent of the time when making “emergency” rulings, often without revealing its reasoning.

Today marks one year since the Supreme Court first used the shadow docket to rule on Trump policies in his second term. Since then, the Court has sided with the president 80 percent of the time. bit.ly/4cybln3

Lawmakers renewed their push to pass the SAVE Act, which would block millions of Americans from voting. It failed before — and it must fail again. Tell your senators to stop this attack on the freedom to vote: bit.ly/4srDVLB

Closing the Social Media Surveillance Loophole Government overreach demands a response.

The use of social media to target dissenters, long a risk, has soared in the second Trump administration. In light of the overreach, there may soon be more receptivity to tackling this issue.

The Long History of Supreme Court Reform Americans have tinkered with the high court since the founding.

At a moment when tens of millions of Americans are deeply unhappy with the Supreme Court, it is hard to envision a clear path to reform. Yet history shows that such a path has been taken many times before. bit.ly/4atgYkQ