Chihiro Isozaki
@cisozaki.bsky.social
Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. Adjunct Professor at NYU Law. civil rights, court reform, state con, history & the constitution. // she/her. all views my own. & yes, I have seen Spirited Away.
Results from our latest State Supreme Court Diversity report: - No Black justices in 24 states - No Latino/a justices in 39 states & DC - No Asian American justices in 40 states - No Native American justices in 47 states & DC Read more:
State Supreme Court Diversity - September 2026 Update
Across the United States, states have shown little progress with respect to racial, ethnic, gender, and professional diversity among state supreme court justices.
brennancenter.org
Another year, another look at who serves on our nation’s state supreme courts. Our latest @brennancenter.org research examines the demographic and professional diversity of these powerful courts—and where representation still falls short. 🧵👇 1/5
State Supreme Court Diversity - September 2026 Update
Across the United States, states have shown little progress with respect to racial, ethnic, gender, and professional diversity among state supreme court justices.
brennancenter.org
Although binding within their own jurisdiction, state constitutional decisions remain outsiders to the U.S. Supreme Court’s constitutional authority. As a result, they can both inspire political engagement and demonstrate that an alternative constitutional path is already in practice. Read more 👇
State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · 2mo agoThe Hawaii Supreme Court opened the door for criminal defendants to challenge convictions based on discredited evidence, diverging from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Can state high court opinions serve as catalysts for national change? Examining Hawaiʻi Justice Todd Eddins' latest opinion, my latest @statecourtreport.org essay draws on Prof. Justin Long's insight that state court opinions can engage the public and inspire democratic change. Read below!
One Hawaii Justice Is Using State Constitutionalism to Challenge Federal Constitutional Orthodoxy
Justice Todd Eddins has consistently reminded us that state courts need not agree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reasoning or conclusions — and neither do we.
statecourtreport.org
Alito's recent dissent in US v. Carter is the most recent reminder of something my colleague @cisozaki.bsky.social has been warning for a while: The originalist fiction of a race-neutral Constitution is damaging civil rights law. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
The Originalist Fiction of a Race-Neutral Constitution is Damaging Civil Rights Law
A Supreme Court ruling based on an ahistorical reading of the Constitution has encouraged attacks on race-inclusive policies and diversity and social justice initiatives.
brennancenter.org
Rick Hasen@rickhasen.bsky.social · 4mo ago#ELB: Justice Alito’s Vision of the Colorblind Constitution Will Be Coming for Other Laws, Including State VRAs https://electionlawblog.org/?p=156831
State Court Report's @cisozaki.bsky.social outlines some extra tools state law gives litigators to counter originalism. Learn more:
State Law Gives Litigators Extra Tools to Counter Originalism
Unique features of state courts allow lawyers to go beyond arguments available in federal courts.
statecourtreport.org
Did you know the majority of cases about the right to bear arms are heard in state court? This is a fascinating discussion of 2025 gun rulings in Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, and Washington, by @kasiawolfkot.bsky.social & @cisozaki.bsky.social in @statecourtreport.org. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
Case Trends: State Courts Grapple with Gun Rights
Multiple courts last year upheld state laws that restricted the right to bear arms. Courts also struggled to interpret related U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
statecourtreport.org
As we reflect on this year's most notable state constitutional cases, @cisozaki.bsky.social's series on 2025 case trends highlights how state courts have been dealing with a range of issues, from the right to vote, to reproductive and transgender rights, to Covid-19 policies. Check it out: 🧵
Alicia Bannon@aliciabannon.bsky.social · 10mo ago2025 was a big year for state con law, and @statecourtreport.org asked some of the country's top legal thinkers what they thought were the most significant state constitutional cases of the year. Check out their answers! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
State constitutional law matters—now more than ever. @statecourtreport.org's latest roundup collects leading voices on the most influential state constitutional cases of 2025. Read it below 👇
State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · 10mo agoWhat state constitutional case from 2025 should our readers know about, and why? We asked some of the country’s leading legal thinkers, and their answers highlight the myriad ways state courts can chart their own jurisprudential courses. A must read piece to wrap up the year!
Who sits on the state's highest courts isn't just symbolic -- it can matter to outcomes that shape everyday lives. My colleague @aliciabannon.bsky.social discusses why diversity on the bench is so important in @statecourtreport.org's latest newsletter. Read the post & our latest analysis below!
State Supreme Court Diversity - November 2025 Update
Many state supreme courts lack diversity in terms of their justices’ race, ethnicity, gender, and professional background.
bit.ly
State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · 10mo agoA new report describing the diversity of state supreme courts reveals "a stark disconnect between the composition of many of these powerful bodies and the communities they serve." @aliciabannon.bsky.social discusses why that matters In the latest State Court Report newsletter.
Originalism’s creep in the courts may seem inevitable. But litigators do have tools to push back – and for the first time, my colleagues @tomtmwolf.bsky.social, @cisozaki.bsky.social and I have collected the many moves litigators can make in a single resource: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Countering Originalism
This guide offers lawyers strategies, arguments, and citations to address originalist claims they encounter in litigation.
brennancenter.org
🚨NEW REPORT from @brennancenter.org: Countering Originalism: A Guide for Litigators. What’s inside? ⚖️ Practical strategies to respond to originalist arguments 📚 Case law + scholarship 📝 Real examples from court filings 🏛️ Lessons from our SCOTUS practice 🌐 Tips for both fed + state courts
Countering Originalism
This guide offers lawyers strategies, arguments, and citations to address originalist claims they encounter in litigation.
brennancenter.org
Tom “T.M.” Wolf@tomtmwolf.bsky.social · 10mo ago⏰NEW RESOURCE: In Countering Originalism: A Guide for Litigators, @sam-breidbart.bsky.social, @cisozaki.bsky.social, and I offer lawyers the strategies, arguments, and citations that they need to push back against originalist claims they encounter in court 🧵⬇️ www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
NEW: Amid attacks on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), the need for representative state supreme courts is as urgent as ever. @cisozaki.bsky.social and Jamie Muth share key takeaways from their latest analysis of state supreme court diversity for @brennancenter.org.
Everyone Benefits When Judges Come from a Variety of Backgrounds
Amid attacks on “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the need for representative state supreme courts is as urgent as ever.
statecourtreport.org
Judges from diverse demographic and professional backgrounds can reduce bias, improve decision-making, and build public trust. Read our latest State Supreme Court Diversity report: bit.ly/3JW6lN6
Apesar de la creciente diversidad de nuestra nación, las personas que deciden algunas de nuestras cuestiones judiciales más importantes, a menudo, no reflejan a las comunidades a las que atienden. Lea mi último artículo en @laopinionla.bsky.social 👇
La lucha para lograr cortes supremas estatales más diversas no se acaba - La Opinión
A pesar de los ataques contra las iniciativas de “diversidad, equidad e inclusión”, la necesidad de tener una judicatura estatal más representativa es urgente
laopinion.com
Check out my latest @brennancenter.org report: ⚖️18 states: 0 justices of color ⚖️47 states + DC: 0 Native American justices ⚖️42 states: 0 Asian American justices ⚖️39 + DC: 0 Latino justices ⚖️24 states: 0 Black justices Bottom line? States high courts still fail to reflect the communities they serve
Brennan Center@brennancenter.org · 11mo agoJudges from diverse demographic and professional backgrounds can reduce bias, improve decision-making, and build public trust. Yet in 18 states, there are no justices of color — including 12 where people of color make up at least 20% of the population. bit.ly/3JW6lN6
State supreme courts are still overwhelmingly white & male ⚖️ 18 states: 0 justices of color ⚖️ 47 states + DC: 0 Native American justices ⚖️ 42 states: 0 Asian American justices ⚖️ 39 + DC: 0 Latino justices ⚖️ 24 states: 0 Black justices New @brennancenter.org analysis below👇👇
State Supreme Court Diversity - November 2025 Update
Many state supreme courts lack diversity in terms of their justices’ race, ethnicity, gender, and professional background.
brennancenter.org
Happy election day 🗳️ to my state-side friends! And while you're in line for the polls (or relaxing on your couch because you voted early!), check out my latest case trends piece on some recent cases in the states that are shaping election processes and the constitutional right to vote 👇👇👇
State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · 12mo agoNEW: State constitutions and state high courts are central in defining how, and by whom, elections are run — and who gets to participate in them. Check out @cisozaki.bsky.social’s Election Day 2025 edition of our series on state constitutional trends.
Attending #NAPABA2025? Join us for “Originalism’s Impacts" (Sat 11/8, 9:15am) w folks from from the state judiciary, @legaldefensefund.bsky.social, @myconstitution.bsky.social & @publicrightspro.bsky.social - we'll explore how originalism is reshaping the law & equal justice for #AANHPI communities!
Check out the second piece in my new "case trends" series for @statecourtreport.org, where I explore state constitutional developments in the repro/trans rights space.
State Court Report@statecourtreport.org · last yr.NEW: "With the federal vacuum forcing states to chart their own course, state courts are increasingly drawing on their distinctive constitutional history and culture to shape the future of reproductive and trans rights.” @cisozaki.bsky.social looks at case trends post-Dobbs and Skrmetti.
I hope you can join us at The Power of State Constitutional Rights, a symposium on Nov 6-7 in Chicago, organized by @brennancenter.org & Northwestern Law Review. We'll be hearing from judges, scholars and practitioners about the future of state con law. RSVP below! brennan.swoogo.com/stateconstit...
The Power of State Constitutional Rights
Judges, practitioners, and scholars explore critical issues facing state courts and constitutions.
brennan.swoogo.com
NEW: Five years on, courts are still weighing the constitutionality of state responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. @cisozaki.bsky.social kicks off her new series on 2025 state constitutional trends with this look at the legal legacy of Covid-19.
Case Trends: State Courts Continue to Grapple with Covid-19 Policies
Courts are still weighing the constitutionality of state responses to the pandemic more than five years after its start.
statecourtreport.org
As manager of @statecourtreport.org's case database at the @brennancenter.org, I'm rolling out a series discussing trends we're seeing in our database cases. Read the first of the series here, and find out what state courts are saying in response to challenges to Covid-19 era government policies 👇👇
Case Trends: State Courts Continue to Grapple with Covid-19 Policies
Courts are still weighing the constitutionality of state responses to the pandemic more than five years after its start.
statecourtreport.org
NEW: SCOTUS's controversial invocation of originalism has sparked a lively debate among justices about interpreting state court cases using "history and tradition." @cisozaki.bsky.social & Maryjane Johnson review recent critiques of originalism and alternative interpretive methods to consider.
State Justices Continue to Challenge Originalism
A lively debate about the value of “history and tradition” in analyzing cases is ongoing in state courts. Some justices are pushing for alternative interpretative methodologies.
statecourtreport.org
NEW: In celebration of May’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Zoe Merriman and @cisozaki.bsky.social look at former Hawaii Justice Masaji Marumoto’s trailblazing career and legacy on the bench.
Honoring Former Hawaii Justice Masaji Marumoto’s Legacy on the Bench
A look at Marumoto’s trailblazing career, in celebration of May’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.
statecourtreport.org
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Republican challenger concedes a 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election to the Democratic incumbent.
i’m sorry, i’m tired of this shit. there was no pronoun policing. i have encountered exactly three or four land acknowledgments in like ten years, and the most you’ll hear about “intersectionality” is in liberal nonprofits. this is just freefloating resentment masquerading as analysis.
Eric Michael Garcia@ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 2y agoElissa Slotkin told Tim Alberta why her response to Trump's joint address did not touch on a laundry list of priorities from various advocacy groups. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
everyone seeing how when you takeaway the DEI the planes start falling out of the sky
Nancy Levine Stearns@nancylevinestearns.bsky.social · 2y ago💥 BREAKING: At John Deere's annual shareholders meeting today, shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal brought by the same group that targeted Costco and Apple. An anti-DEI proposal from the NCPPR received less than 1 percent of votes. Deere shareholders: DEI is in. Bigots are out
The attacks on DEI are a pretext for a much more radical agenda of reversing the gains of the civil rights movement, an objective the Trump administration is pursuing with zeal. A Great Resegregation. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Elon Musk is now trying to flip the balance of power on the top court in one of the country’s most important swing states. Read @ariberman.bsky.social on the very high stakes in Wisconsin and the Tesla founder's plot to buy the state supreme court.
Elon Musk is trying to buy the Wisconsin supreme court
“His attack on democracy isn’t limited to gutting the federal government. He wants it all.”
motherjones.com