There’s serious risk that partisan gerrymandering could decide who controls the next Congress and suppress the political power of communities of color for years to come.
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[INSIDER]
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The Fight Over Fair Representation in Congress
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The next round of redistricting in 2021 and 2022 could be the most challenging in recent history. In some states where the GOP has complete control over the redistricting process, there’s serious risk that partisan gerrymandering will decide who controls the next Congress and suppress the political power of communities of color for years to come. With so much at stake, Congress can ensure that maps are drawn fairly by ending the filibuster and passing the For the People Act
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State Lawmakers Want to Roll Back Voting Rights
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In a backlash to historic voter turnout in the 2020 election, and grounded in baseless and racist allegations of voter fraud, legislators have introduced well over four times the number of bills to restrict voting access as compared to roughly this time last year. In 33 states, there are over 165 proposed bills that would make voting harder instead of easier
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The Insurrection, Police Accountability, and the First Amendment
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The dozens of law enforcement agents who traveled to the Capitol on January 6 to support or witness the insurrection will long be tagged by it. Some may get charged with a crime, some may be fired, but even those who keep their jobs will face credibility questions for the rest of their professional lives. Brennan Center Fellow Andrew Cohen looks at the political and legal ramifications for law enforcement officers who were part of the insurrection
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The Wrong Way to Tackle Climate Change
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Last week, members of Congress introduced a bill to require President Biden to declare a national emergency for the purpose of addressing climate change. The measure is well-intentioned, but it reflects a profound misunderstanding of how national emergencies work. The bill wrongly links a national emergency declaration to a host of goals that can’t be accomplished with emergency powers. Suggesting otherwise plays into dangerous misconceptions that emergency powers have no limits, and it lets Congress off the hook for providing the authorities and funding the president actually needs to address the climate crisis. A national emergency doesn’t provide a magical shortcut.
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How to Amplify Diverse Voices in Politics
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The For the People Act, the major democracy reform package moving through Congress, contains a campaign finance reform provision that would provide matching funds to multiply the value of small donations to candidates at a rate of six-to-one. This program would amplify the voices of regular people and allow more diverse candidates to run competitive campaigns without having to raise large amounts of money from special interests. With public financing, politicians would have incentive to seek broad support from all of their constituents, not just the rich ones.
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Virtual Events
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America’s Broken Legal System
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Wednesday, February 17 | 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. ET
Too often, the criminal justice system compels innocent people to plead guilty, and it disproportionately incarcerates Black and brown Americans. Meanwhile, high-level executives are rarely prosecuted or held accountable for more serious crimes. Jed S. Rakoff examines these and other paradoxes in a new book, Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free: And Other Paradoxes of Our Broken Legal System
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He will be joined by the Brennan Center’s Hernandez Stroud to discuss the shortcomings of the country’s legal system and propose paths to reform. This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center. RSVP today.
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After the Insurrection: How to Build a More Resilient Democracy
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Thursday, February 18 | 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. ET
The attack on the Capitol, spurred by Trump’s lies about the election, highlights the importance of holding those responsible to account, shoring up institutional guardrails, and taking action to revitalize democracy. Join co-chairs of the National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy Preet Bharara and Christine Todd Whitman, Brennan Center President Michael Waldman, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, and CNN reporter Nia-Malika Henderson for a conversation about the reforms needed to bolster American democracy. This event is produced in partnership with The New York Public Library. RSVP today.
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A Persistent & Lethal Threat: White Supremacy in the United States
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Friday, February 19 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
In order to confront what happened on January 6, it’s necessary to take a closer look at the mostly white insurrectionists who rallied around white supremacist symbols. This dialogue, featuring Brennan Center Fellow Michael German and other experts, will explore the ideologies of white supremacy, the groups that champion these beliefs, and the forums that enable these individuals to connect and grow their movements. This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center. RSVP today.
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What We’re Reading
Gowri Ramachandran, counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, recommends American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old — And Hanging By a Thread
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The sweeping essay traces the history and future of Black voting rights and activism in the U.S.
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The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to reform, revitalize – and when necessary defend – our country’s systems of democracy and justice.
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
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New York, NY 10271
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