Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected an effort to switch to judicial elections, which the legislature was seeking in order to override the court's abortion rights cases. kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/k...

Kansas voters reject constitutional amendment on judicial selection by wide margin • Kansas Reflector

Kansas voters were set to evaluate a proposed constitutional amendment that would spike a 68-year-old system for selecting justices for the highest court

kansasreflector.com

This issue has been litigated for years but has remained unresolved. A court in 2022 ruled that voters could not get new ballots if a candidate later dropped out, but the court of appeals overturned that decision this year on technical grounds, without reaching the merits.

Wisconsin judge says voters who have returned absentee ballot for state primary cannot get a new one

A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that voters who have already returned their absentee ballots for the state’s primary election are not allowed to void those and request a new one.

apnews.com

Madison police killed a man on Willy Street in the heart of the city's most self proclaimed progressive neighborhood. It's the third time it's happened in that area since 2012. @chalipittman.bsky.social and I covered the story on Wednesday. isthmus.com/news/news/fa...

Madison police kill man on Willy Street, evoking outrage, deja vu

Videos circulating on social media show three officers restraining the man as a fourth appears to produce a taser. The man begins to fall. Then three gunshots ring out.

isthmus.com

Our latest explainer discusses how state criminal laws may offer an avenue for addressing some concerns about federal election interference, given that federal law also includes prohibitions on voter intimidation, armed federal officers at the polls, mail delays, and more.

State Democracy Research Initiative@uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social · 2w ago

Recent federal efforts to exert control over state elections appear likely to intensify as the 2026 midterms approach. Our latest explainer examines state laws that provide a potential pathway for reining in federal electoral overreach: go.wisc.edu/324j0q

The Maine Attorney General’s Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian man by federal immigration agents Monday.

Maine AG announces state investigation into fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford • New Hampshire Bulletin

The Maine Attorney General's Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian man by federal immigration agents Monday morning in Biddeford.

newhampshirebulletin.com

DOJ has turned over evidence to MN in the shootings of Good and Pretti after months of refusing to do so and against the backdrop of an ongoing MN lawsuit. Source says "the evidence sharing is expected to go both ways" and is "a return to longstanding norms." www.startribune.com/renee-good-a...

Feds quietly share evidence in Good and Pretti shootings with Minnesota investigators

The evidence includes the SUV Renee Good was driving and is considered comprehensive.

startribune.com

A week after ICE shot and killed a man in Texas, another person has been killed in Maine in a shooting involving immigration agents. Details yet to come. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Person killed in shooting involving ICE agents in Maine, reports say

Shooting occurs days after man killed by immigration agent during traffic stop in Texas

theguardian.com

Federal officers shot and killed another person this week, this time in Texas. As I've explained before, states do have jurisdiction to investigate federal shootings and bring state criminal charges if warranted: www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi... www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/u...

Witnesses of ICE Killing in Houston Dispute the Official Account

The agency said a Mexican immigrant driving a van tried to ram agents before they shot him dead. A lawyer for three passengers said that was untrue.

nytimes.com

What were the most consequential democracy-related court decisions of the past year? Join us on July 8 for "Year in Review: Democracy Litigation in SCOTUS and the States," featuring leading experts on election law and democracy. Register here: go.wisc.edu/62qgi8

A federal court quashed six subpoenas against MN officials, writing it had "no doubt" they "were issued for unlawful reasons" of coercing state officials to assist with immigration enforcement and "to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so." www.startribune.com/judge-quash-...

Judge rips Trump administration, blocks subpoenas of Walz, Frey over immigration enforcement

Federal Judge Patrick Schiltz called the subpoenas an “abuse of the grand-jury process” that were politically motivated, unconstitutional and without merit.

startribune.com

The WI Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal in a second case involving the state's congressional map. This one argues that it is an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The other case argues the map is an unconstitutional anti-competitive gerrymander. wisconsinexaminer.com/briefs/wisco...

Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to hear second congressional maps challenge • Wisconsin Examiner

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a second challenge to the state's congressional maps.

wisconsinexaminer.com

Our in-depth constitutional history for New York went live yesterday. Check out 50constitutions.org/ny to explore how it has changed over time, or look up your own state's constitution! Huge shout-out to @ewylau.bsky.social for her work on this project.

State Democracy Research Initiative@uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In 2024, New Yorkers adopted an Amendment that expanded the state constitution’s Equal Protection Clause to bar discrimination based on ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy status, reproductive healthcare & more. Learn more at 50constitutions.org/ny

Great piece from WI Justices Dallet and Hagedorn highlighting why attorneys should pay more attention to the WI Constitution and support state constitutional claims with "independent analysis grounded in the text's meaning and the context of related provisions." www.wisbar.org/NewsPublicat...

News: Minnesota's filing deadline passed this week, and no one filed to challenge either of the 2 sitting justices up for reelection this year. That guarantees new terms for Justices Sarah Hennesy and Paul Thissen, both appointees of Governor Tim Walz (& both former public defenders).

Minnesota arrested an ICE agent it charged in Texas: www.startribune.com/ice-agent-ch...

ICE agent charged in MN shooting of Venezuelan immigrant arrested in Texas

Christian Castro, the ICE agent charged with shooting Julio Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge and lying about the circumstances, was arrested in Texas Friday after Minnesota...

startribune.com

In both GA and MN, judges are supposedly elected. But in practice, "nearly every state supreme court justice steps down midterm, allowing the governor to appoint a successor instead of the state holding an open election for a new justice." Once on the court, they basically never lose re-election.

In some states that say they elect judges, governors choose them instead

In two states with judicial elections − Georgia and Minnesota − nearly every justice steps down midterm, allowing the governor to appoint a successor instead of the state holding an open election.

theconversation.com

Bolts@boltsmag.org · 3mo ago

No incumbent on the Georgia Supreme Court has lost a reelection bid in 104 years. A pair of liberal challengers tried to buck that trend this year, but neither was successful on Tuesday.

Hennepin County prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for the ICE officer who allegedly shot Julio Sosa-Celis in January. Prosecutors are charging the officer with with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

ICE agent charged in shooting of man in north Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Christian Castro in the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis.

startribune.com

Excited to share my article, Disenfranchisement Creep, was published Friday in the Virginia Law Review! It argues that state constitutions offer an underexplored way to rein in overbroad criminal and capacity-based disenfranchisement schemes. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Social Circle, Ga., sued DHS/ICE this week over their efforts to construct a 10,000-person detention facility in the 5,000-person town, bringing claims under NEPA, the APA, and state nuisance law. I explore the viability and hurdles for such claims here: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/our-work/sta...

Georgia town sues over ICE plan for vast immigration detention center

Officials of Social Circle, population 5,000, file lawsuit over plan to turn warehouse into 10,000-capacity facility

theguardian.com

A Dane County judge yesterday ordered that the 23 absentee ballots that arrived late to Madison polling places on election day must be counted, given that they arrived late due to election officials' error rather than voter fault. www.votebeat.org/wisconsin/20...

Judge orders Madison to count 23 rejected absentee ballots in state Supreme Court race

A judge ruled that 23 late-arriving Madison absentee ballots must be counted after voters argued they were being disenfranchised due to election officials’ errors.

votebeat.org

For decades, ICE limited enforcement operations at locations like schools and hospitals. Both Trump Administrations rescinded those guidelines. @harrisonstark.bsky.social discusses states & localities’ ability to adopt their own policies in a new report: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/our-work/can...

Can States Protect “Sensitive Locations” Like Courthouses, Hospitals, or Schools From Federal Immigration Enforcement?

For decades, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) limited enforcement operations at so-called “sensitive locations” like courthouses, schools, or…

statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu

And now voters have appealed to state court. Law Forward filed a suit Wednesday arguing that the rejection of the ballots is unconstitutional because the voters submitted their absentee ballots on time--it was the city that failed to transport them to polling places by 8 p.m.

Law Forward sues elections commission over rejection of Madison absentee ballots • Wisconsin Examiner

A voting rights focused law firm sued WEC Wednesday over its decision to not count 23 Madison absentee ballots.

wisconsinexaminer.com

Bryna Godar@bgodar.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The Madison ballot saga continues: WEC voted 5-1 to order the rejection of 23 absentee ballots that arrived at polling places after 8 p.m. on Election Day, even though the city received them the day before. The commissioners cited state law, but one said she hopes the voters appeal the decision.

Illinois police are investigating an ICE agent's fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez last summer in Chicago, months before the Minneapolis shootings. As in other cases, federal officials claimed that he drove his car into officers, but video footage instead showed him attempting to flee.

Illinois State Police to Investigate Fatal ICE Shooting

nytimes.com

The Madison ballot saga continues: WEC voted 5-1 to order the rejection of 23 absentee ballots that arrived at polling places after 8 p.m. on Election Day, even though the city received them the day before. The commissioners cited state law, but one said she hopes the voters appeal the decision.

WEC reverses ballot counting decisions in Mequon, Madison

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is ordering officials in two counties to reverse decisions on whether to count ballots during the spring election.

jsonline.com

@bridgetlavender.bsky.social discusses the suit over NJ's law enforcement mask ban, explaining that "Federal officials do not have blanket immunity from state laws. So the question is: What laws are seeking to control them? What laws go too far?"

Trump Administration Sues New Jersey Governor Over ICE Mask Ban

nytimes.com

We're hiring! Two postings are up for a staff attorney position and a one-year fellow position @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social (in-person and remote options available). Apply by May 14!

Work With Us

Explore research and resources on state democracy, state constitutions, state government institutions, and state public law.

statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu

The second WI congressional redistricting case, claiming anti-competitive gerrymandering, was dismissed today: wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.h... The other, based on partisan gerrymandering, was dismissed last month: www.wpr.org/news/judicia... Both could now go to the WI Supreme Court.

Judicial panel dismisses lawsuit challenging Wisconsin congressional districts

A three-judge panel in Wisconsin dismissed a lawsuit aimed at redrawing Wisconsin's congressional districts before the November election, saying they don't have authority to strike down the current ma...

wpr.org

This would be a significant change for VA and ties in with my article on state constitutional limits on criminal and capacity-based disenfranchisement, which comes out next month in (fittingly) the Virginia Law Review: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Bolts@boltsmag.org · 3mo ago

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger endorsed a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to people with felony convictions when they leave prison. State lawmakers passed the amendment and it will now appear on the state ballot.

CO prosecutors have charged a federal officer with assault over an altercation with a protester in October. Federal officials are again asserting states don't have jurisdiction over federal officers. I've explained already why that's incorrect: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/our-work/can...

Assault charge for immigration officer in Colorado could test immunity provisions for federal agents

A Colorado prosecutor said Wednesday that the officer has been charged with third-degree assault and criminal mischief following an investigation into the treatment of a protester in October.

nbcnews.com

A recent U.S. district court decision held that states can constitutionally prohibit federal agents from wearing masks, so long as they do not discriminate against them in the process. Staff Attorney Bridget Lavender explains what this means for other states who are considering their own mask bans.

State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · 4mo ago

A recent U.S. district court decision offers lessons for states that are considering laws to ban ICE agents from wearing masks, writes @bridgetlavender.bsky.social.