The Brennan Center was built for this moment. We’re prepared to defend the Constitution, challenge abuses of power, and uphold the rule of law. John, we're not giving up on democracy. We’re going to fight for it. Join us.
This is our last newsletter for the year. All of us at the Brennan Center wish you and your families a time of rest and joy. We are trying to take our own advice, too. You won’t hear from the Briefing until the new year.
What will 2025 bring? We know part of what we will be doing: The Brennan Center will work to counter abuses of power. We will work to protect voting rights — and those who run our elections — from attack. We will do all we can to protect our democracy and the Constitution.
But as we’ve said before, a time of crisis like this can bring creativity and change. New ideas, new strategies, and new leaders can emerge. What counts is not what we are against but what we are for.
So on Supreme Court reform, bolstering state constitutions and courts, commonsense criminal justice reform, and more, we will look to make progress where we can, working with committed citizens across ideological lines.
This is the first time since the 1800s that the incumbent party has lost the White House three elections in a row. Citizens are clearly angry. When people do not think that democracy delivers for them, they are far more open to the call of authoritarianism. So we will take a hard look at the ways that big money, technology, artificial intelligence, and other powerful forces are reshaping our political system.
2024 was a turbulent year. Much of what we face now is new and unsettling. But the laws of political gravity — and of history — have not been repealed. We will do our part to help write the next chapter in the American story.
From all of us at the Brennan Center, merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, and happy New Year!
States Must Take Charge on Election Security
As cyber and physical security threats to U.S. elections grow, it’s more important than ever for states to step up and protect the integrity of the system. While federal support has helped strengthen election infrastructure, the incoming administration’s Project 2025 policy plan threatens to cut that funding, potentially undoing recent security gains. Derek Tisler outlines actions that states can take to ensure that election officials have the resources and expertise they need to tackle evolving risks. Read more
A Path to Ending Lifetime Supreme Court Terms
The U.S. Supreme Court is an outlier among high courts in both the United States and other constitutional democracies in lacking either term limits or a mandatory retirement age. Some reform advocates have proposed that justices take “senior status” after 18 years on the bench, in which they would retire from regular active service — modeled after the system already in place for lower federal courts. Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner argues that this proposal avoids any “constitutional problem by requiring that a justice not leave judicial service entirely, but rather take on new duties.” Read more
Beefing Up Congress’s Technical Expertise
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine, which had allowed federal agencies the flexibility to interpret ambiguous laws. Now, lawmakers are tasked with writing laws that are far more specific — despite often lacking the specialized knowledge to do so effectively. In a piece for the Federation of American Scientists, Maya Kornberg calls on Congress to create a nonpartisan science and technology hub to strengthen its in-house expertise and “help navigate complex policy questions.” Read more
PODCAST: Insurrection Inc.
In our latest episode, we discuss the alarming rise of untraceable dark money and corporate influence in politics and how these forces are reshaping our democracy. Stetson University law professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, the author of the new book Corporatocracy, and Natalie Tennant, former West Virginia secretary of state and newly elected Kanawha County commissioner, discuss how to strengthen American democracy in the face of growing corporate control. Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform, or watch it on Youtube.
News
Michael Li on gerrymandering in the 2024 House race // FACTCHECK
Faiza Patel on widespread government surveillance // NPR
