Many state legislatures have continued to make it harder to vote this year at a near-record pace. As of May 29, at least 11 states have enacted restrictive laws, and at least 4 states have enacted election interference laws, which could make elections more vulnerable to threats or partisan interference. At the same time, a pro-democracy movement is pushing back, with laws to expand the vote enacted in 13 states. These and other trends — such as new barriers to passing ballot initiatives — are detailed in the latest edition of the Brennan Center’s voting laws roundup.

The U.S. Supreme Court may have adopted a regressive view of how abortion bans impact women’s equality, but that doesn’t mean state high courts have to take the same approach. A new resource by the Center for Reproductive Rights details how more than a dozen state supreme courts have recognized stronger protections for gender equality under their state constitutions than the federal Constitution. It shows how state courts can lead the way in gender equality law.

Last week, the New York State Legislature passed the Clean Slate Act, which will automatically seal old criminal records. If signed into law by the governor, it will provide significant benefits to thousands of people whose convictions prevent them from securing jobs and housing. It would be an important step toward easing the staggering economic toll of criminal convictions, which our new analysis estimates cost 2.1 million New Yorkers some $12.6 billion annually.

The Biden administration is urging Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gives the government significant power to conduct spying in order to counter foreign threats. But legislators should think twice about renewing the law without adding new safeguards, as it has increasingly been used by the FBI and other agencies to access Americans’ private communications without warrants. Major reforms are needed to protect people from these “backdoor searches” — the Fourth Amendment demands no less.