Congress must answer the call for accountability. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
Donate
Brennan Center for Justice
 
AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin
The Trump administration’s deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific demand an extraordinary response from Congress. The military campaign against so-called “narco-terrorists” has not been approved by Congress, and the attacks may have also murdered civilians in international waters. Federal lawmakers have ample powers to uncover and end administration abuse. History shows that one of the most effective ways to do this is for the House or Senate to create a select committee to investigate misuse of presidential power. Such panels can issue subpoenas, draw media attention, uncover facts, and propose reforms.
For years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used advancing spying technology to find people to deport. Now the Trump administration says that it will target anti-ICE protesters, along with anyone who allegedly funds them. This is a serious threat to free speech and privacy rights protected by the First and Fourth Amendments. It’s even more alarming in light of ICE’s recent spending spree on new social media monitoring systems, facial recognition tech, remote hacking tools, and other technology that can be used against Americans who are not suspected of any crime.
The Trump administration is also pledging to pursue innocent Americans in another way: threatening to revoke the citizenship of political opponents who are naturalized citizens. While there are strong legal protections against such attempts, the mere specter of denaturalization proceedings can make many of the 25 million naturalized U.S. citizens afraid to express opinions that the president doesn’t like.
The justices on state high courts deciding some of the country’s most important legal questions often don’t reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. A new Brennan Center analysis shows that state supreme courts — which have become increasingly important for protecting and expanding individual rights — remain overwhelmingly white and male. This lack of representation on the bench hinders public trust in the fairness of the courts.
Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping society and the economy at rocket speed. Now, with an influx of younger members in Congress who understand tech better than their predecessors, the time is right for lawmakers to enact much-needed guardrails. Congress can start by creating a dedicated tech committee with expert staff.
Police departments nationwide have rapidly adopted software platforms driven by AI. Although these tools claim to help police predict crimes, identify threats, and close cases faster, many are unproven. Without robust safeguards around their use in policing, AI tools risk generating inaccurate results, perpetuating bias, and undermining civil liberties.
New data shows that New York remains one of the safest big cities in the country. As of 2025, murders and shootings have fallen to or near all-time lows, largely reversing the sharp uptick in violent crime that the city experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. A Brennan Center analysis breaks down these promising trends, as well as persistent public safety challenges that New York City still needs to address.
Several state races broke spending records in 2025, largely fueled by contributions from the biggest donors. This trend continues the post–Citizens United election spending boom, even in state and local races not typically thought of as nationally significant. A Brennan Center analysis explains what the record-shattering elections reveal about the campaign finance landscape.

 
BRENNAN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Counties in Texas are considering tallying votes by hand for their primary elections in March. But hand-counting ballots isn’t as practical, safe, or accurate as using machines. Learn more on Instagram >>

 
PODCAST
Politics today can be defined by extreme dysfunction and polarization, but the framers accounted for a fractured society and designed the government specifically to handle moments like these. Yuval Levin discusses his book American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation ― and Could Again, which argues that the constitutional system is designed to compel us to find common ground. Watch or listen on YouTube // Spotify // Apple // Substack

 
Coming Up
 
VIRTUAL EVENT: Bush v. Gore and the State of U.S. Elections
Tuesday, December 9, 2–3 p.m. ET
On election night in 2000, the networks called the presidential race prematurely for Al Gore, then retracted their calls, then called it prematurely for George W. Bush and retracted again. Ultimately, five Supreme Court justices — all appointed by Republican presidents — put an end to the recount in Florida, effectively declaring Bush the winner. The justices on the winning side warned that the ruling should not be cited as precedent. The reasoning flummoxed legal scholars, even those who agreed with the outcome.
 
Join us for a live virtual event to discuss the legacy of Bush v. Gore. Did the case change the relationship between Americans and their elections, and between elections and the courts? Was it merely a symptom of broader changes in American politics? Or was the decision a historical anomaly with no lasting impact on American law and politics? RSVP today

 
 
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
120 Broadway, Suite 1750 New York, NY 10271
646-292-8310
Want to change how you receive these emails or unsubscribe? Click here to update your preferences.
BlueSky Facebook threads Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Website