The pandemic will likely play havoc with election night rituals. The explosive growth of absentee ballots and their slow counting will mean days of uncertainty if the election is close. Television networks can combat conspiracy theories by changing how they display election night returns, using a percentage of estimated turnout instead of precincts reporting, writes Brennan Center Fellow Walter Shapiro. // Read More

Last week in California, a bipartisan state senate vote placed a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would restore the right to vote to people on parole. A win would grant voting rights back to over 50,000 Californians, most of whom are living in communities working, paying taxes, and seeking a path forward. Disenfranchising people on parole “disproportionately mutes the political voices of communities of color, further marginalizing those that are already underrepresented,” write Patrick Berry and Stuart Baum. // Read More

Seven years ago last week, the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the nation’s most effective civil rights law. Previously, states with a history of racial discrimination in voting had to get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department before changing voting laws and practices. In 2013, the Brennan Center warned that without Section 5’s protections, states might seek to push a wave of discriminatory voting measures, threatening the rights of minority voters. “Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened,” writes Myrna Pérez. // Read More

The First Step Act aimed to do two things: cut unnecessarily long federal sentences and improve conditions in federal prison. More than a year after it was enacted, key parts of the law are working as promised, restoring a modicum of fairness to sentencing and helping to reduce the country’s unconscionably large federal prison population. But other parts are not. Ames Grawert describes how the Justice Department’s handling of prisoner releases during the coronavirus pandemic gives some insight into what’s wrong. // Read More

Throughout its history, the FBI has viewed Black activism as a potential national security threat, using its investigative powers to inhibit the speech and association rights of Black activists. And its reaction to the protests following the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd shows little has changed, even though the most apparent protest violence that falls within the FBI’s jurisdiction is coming from police. The FBI “would put its investigative authorities to better use by holding those officers accountable,” writes Brennan Center Fellow Michael German. // Read More

After years of threats, President Trump declared a national emergency this month so he could impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court. The president wants to intimidate the court and stop its investigations of Americans accused of war crimes in Afghanistan. Trump’s move is a gross abuse of power, undermines core American values of human rights and rule of law, and weakens our country’s international standing. “If there were a prize for actions that simultaneously affront both domestic and international law, this executive order would certainly be a contender,” writes Andrew Boyle. // Read More

• VIRTUAL EVENT: Pandemic Propaganda: A New Electoral Crisis
  Thursday, July 9 | 12:00 p.m. EDT | RSVP Today
  This event is produced in partnership with Foreign Affairs and New York University's John Brademas Center.
  How will the misinformation pandemic inflamed by the coronavirus crisis reshape the political landscape? And how might domestic and foreign actors weaponize rumors, conspiracy theories, and disinformation about Covid-19 against American voters in the lead-up to the November election? A distinguished panel, including experts from Brennan Center and Foreign Affairs, will discuss measures that can address these challenges in the upcoming months and help ensure the 2020 election is free, fair, and safe.
  Speakers: Laura Rosenberger, Director, Alliance for Securing Democracy; Ian Vandewalker, Senior Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Ángel Díaz, Counsel, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Executive Editor, Foreign Affairs (Presider)

• Michael German on the militarization of police // Al Jazeera
• Taryn Merkl on qualified immunity // MarketWatch
• Lawrence Norden on the Kentucky primary // Washington Post
• Harsha Panduranga on police monitoring social media // Law and Disorder Radio
• Faiza Patel on police surveillance of protesters // New York Magazine
• Myrna Pérez on the importance of widespread voting by mail // CBS News
• Wendy Weiser on the GOP’s strategic deployment of voter suppression // FiveThirtyEight
• Thomas Wolf on the Census Bureau’s political appointments // ABC News