In a ruling that flew under the radar amid other headline-grabbing decisions, the Supreme Court drastically narrowed federal protections against government corruption. In Snyder v. United States, the conservative majority tossed the conviction of a mayor who accepted kickbacks that no reasonable person would assume were legal, redefining the scope of a bribery law to allow officials to accept “gratuities.” As confidence in American public institutions drops to record lows, the decision to hollow out safeguards against corruption could not have come at a worse time.

A Georgia law implemented this month makes it easier for citizens to challenge their neighbors’ ability to vote, increasing the risk of voter disenfranchisement. The law, fueled by false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020, has already led to mass challenges that will require dozens of voters to take extra steps to have their ballots counted this fall. Some Georgia counties are trying to mitigate the law’s impact by requiring stronger evidence of a voter’s supposed ineligibility. Even still, inviting frivolous voter challenges wastes election officials’ time and spreads disinformation, eroding trust in the electoral process.

For more than a century, Congress has ignored the dormant threat of the Insurrection Act, a law that grants the president nearly limitless power to use the military as a domestic police force. In the current political climate, in which threats of violence and election denial have become normalized, it’s dangerous to leave this authority unchecked. Reform is necessary to clarify when and how presidents can use the Insurrection Act and implement crucial safeguards against abuse.

The 2024 Ohio congressional primaries underscore significant shifts in campaign finance dynamics. Out-of-state megadonors wielded substantial influence through super PACs, dominating competitive races with unprecedented spending. Self-funding by wealthy candidates also played a pivotal role. Moreover, nationalized funding channels, including opaque “dark money” groups, funneled millions of dollars through local fronts, blurring funding sources. A new Brennan Center analysis details how external financial forces and moneyed special interests, rather than constituents, increasingly shape local elections.

The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder removed important protections against racial discrimination in the Voting Rights Act, clearing the way for more than 100 new voter suppression laws since then. The Brennan Center’s Kareem Crayton delves into the fallout of the Court’s decision, the growing racial turnout gap, and the reforms that will protect the right to vote.