The election for the state supreme court illustrated the shifting politics of abortion and redistricting. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Fight Over Voting Maps and Abortion Plays Out in Wisconsin

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This week, liberal Janet Protasiewicz beat conservative Daniel Kelly for a seat on Wisconsin’s supreme court, flipping the ideological majority on the bench for the first time in 15 years. The two major issues in the race, abortion and gerrymandering, drove unprecedented campaign spending and invited intense national scrutiny. In tipping the court in a more progressive direction, Wisconsin voters sent a clear message that they care passionately about women’s rights and fair representation

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Rebuilding Hollowed-Out Federal Agencies

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A new Brennan Center analysis finds that the number of employees in most cabinet agencies dropped dramatically over the past decade. A combination of budget cuts, hiring freezes, and periodic government shutdowns has reduced agencies’ efficiency and effectiveness, leaving them poorly equipped to carry out their duties. Both the Biden administration and Congress must ensure the government has the personnel and resources it needs to properly serve the public

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Reining In Domestic Surveillance by DHS

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Last month, a House committee opened a probe into a Department of Homeland Security domestic intelligence program over potential civil liberties violations. It’s just the latest of many long-standing abuses by DHS agencies, which too often misuse their authority to undermine Americans’ privacy and First Amendment protections. A new Brennan Center report

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details reforms for establishing stronger safeguards and oversight to restrain DHS overreach and better protect the public’s constitutional rights

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Hawaii Supreme Court Takes on the Climate Crisis

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A recent court decision in Hawaii signals a potential path for fighting climate change: environmental provisions in state constitutions. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that before approving an energy company’s proposed power plant, state regulators had to consider the effects of potential greenhouse gas emissions. Although federal courts have so far failed to seriously engage with the growing climate crisis, the decision shows how state constitutional guarantees can be used to defend the planet

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Key Developments for Reproductive Rights

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When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, it said nothing about pregnant women whose lives might be endangered without an abortion, leaving the judgment up to the states. Last month, state supreme courts in Oklahoma and North Dakota decided that their constitutions offer limited rights to abortion when needed to preserve a woman’s life or health. These narrow but significant rulings target some of the most extreme abortion restrictions in the country, although neither court addressed whether their state constitutions protect abortion access more broadly. These and other questions on state-level reproductive rights remain pending as the post-Dobbs legal landscape takes shape

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BRENNAN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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Despite holding 29 percent of the seats in today’s Congress, women have only 17 percent of committee leadership positions (both chairs and ranking members). Read more

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and follow us on Instagram >>

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Virtual Events

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Disinformation Nation: How Partisan Politicians Distort History

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Thursday, April 20, 6–7 p.m. ET

Misinformation abounds on social media and cable news. A new book points out that this applies not only to current events but to our nation’s history as well. Join us for a live virtual conversation with the editors of the book, Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past

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, and some of the writers featured in it. RSVP today.

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