The threat of a replatformed Trump

Adrià Fruitós

Congress has a major new opportunity to fight mass incarceration: it’s called the Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act. This innovative federal funding program proposed by the Brennan Center would offer states $1 billion in grants as an incentive to cut their prison populations by 20 percent over three years. If the 25 states with the highest number of incarcerated people met this goal, it would lead to 179,000 fewer people behind bars — more than the total federal prison population. Implementing the program would promote humane criminal justice policies that preserve public safety.

The Right to Be Rude in Town Meetings

Citing the freedom of assembly, the highest court in Massachusetts recently struck down a town’s rules for making comments at public meetings. In the case, a resident had been ordered to leave after hurling insults and accusing the board of selectmen of spending like “drunken sailors.” But the court ruled that “rude, personal, and disrespectful” conduct is protected by the state constitution. The latest State Court Report newsletter explains the case and the fascinating history of this fundamental right in the United States. Click here to subscribe to the State Court Report newsletter.

Are Meta’s Safeguards Enough?

Former President Trump posted on Facebook last week for the first time since the company lifted his two-year suspension for praising the January 6 rioters. Facebook parent company Meta says it has overhauled its content moderation policies to better respond to threats. But in light of Trump’s latest call for his supporters to protest his possible indictment in New York, it remains to be seen whether these new guardrails will be enough to deter public safety risks. Above all, the efficacy of the updated content moderation policies will depend on the company’s willingness to enforce them.

The Stakes of Wisconsin’s Judicial Election

After 15 years of conservative control, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ideological balance is up for grabs in an election set for April 4. The race has already broken spending and primary turnout records, and the results could decide the fate of abortion access, gerrymandering, and executive powers in the state. This high-profile election speaks to the mounting influence of state courts in the face of divided government and eroding federal rights.

Congress’s Glass Ceiling

Women make up 29 percent of today’s Congress but hold only 17 percent of committee leadership positions. For too many women in Congress, fundraising disadvantages and murky committee selection processes mean their path to leadership often dead-ends. Reforming the campaign finance system and prioritizing committee selections that reflect the diversity of the legislature as a whole can give women in Congress the full access to legislative power they and their constituents deserve.

The Never-Ending War

This month marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. Despite President Biden’s affirmation that the war has ended, thousands of U.S. troops are still in Iraq and the congressional Authorization for the Use of Military Force remains on the books. In a rare display of bipartisanship, legislators across the political spectrum are now pushing to repeal the authorization, but even this won’t be enough. It’s far past the time for Congress to rein in the president’s war-making power worldwide.

WATCH NOW: BRENNAN CENTER LIVE

Decades ago, the words “Black Power” transformed the civil rights movement, ushering out the nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis and heralding the turbulent year of 1966. Watch the conversation between Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and author Mark Whitaker about his new book, Saying It Loud: 1966—The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement.