Adam Sopko
@adamsopko.bsky.social
Associate Professor, University of Colorado Law School • State courts and constitutions Papers: https://ssrn.com/author=3997386
3Ls and Recent Law Grads: Do you like state constitutional law? Appellate advocacy? Impact litigation? Apply for a sponsorship opportunity to work with the ACLU's State Supreme Court Initiative as a Legal Fellow! www.aclu.org/careers/appl...
Careers at ACLU
Join our team! We’re looking for committed, passionate people for open roles at the ACLU.
aclu.org
Reminder: Get your abstracts in before May 31 for our state public law workshop in August!
Adam Sopko@adamsopko.bsky.social · 4mo agoCall for papers for a workshop on state public law here in Boulder on August 13-14! Abstracts due May 31. More info below!
📢 Amazing job alert! SDRI is doing transformative work in the area of state public law and democracy. (It’s also just a really fun and supportive place to work.) If you’re interested in state con law, voting rights, and federalism, run—don’t walk—to get your application in!
State Democracy Research Initiative@uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social · 4mo ago🔥There is still time to apply for our Staff Attorney and Fellowship positions!🔥 Learn more and apply here🏃♂️➡️➡️ statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/get-involved/work-with-us
Call for papers for a workshop on state public law here in Boulder on August 13-14! Abstracts due May 31. More info below!
My latest scholarship roundup up for @statecourtreport.org covers interesting new work on state constitutions, state courts, federalism, and more. (Sorry to report that it’s the back-to-school edition!) statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
Back-to-School Scholarship Roundup: State Courts, Constitutional Law, and Federalism
Recent books and law review articles discuss voter disenfranchisement, separation of church and state, and much more.
statecourtreport.org
Staff Attorney @adamsopko.bsky.social recaps the PA Supreme Court's 2024 election cases for The PA Lawyer Magazine, highlighting the court's more passive approach than in prior years. He considers possible explanations and their implications for 2025 and beyond. 📖: www.pabar.org/members/pala...
pabar.org
Law students and recent grads! Thinking about clerking? Don’t overlook state courts. State Court Report has a new resource w/ info and deadlines for 95 state supreme court justices. Check it out! @statecourtreport.bsky.social statecourtreport.org/state-judici...
State Judicial Clerkship Resource
statecourtreport.org
New Wisconsin case filed challenging the state's congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. Plaintiffs are asking the WI Supreme Court to take the case directly as an original action: www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/u...
democracydocket.com
A 🧵on state court clerkships: Considering a judicial clerkship? Don't let the federal spotlight blind you to the powerhouse opportunities waiting in state supreme and appellate courts! #AppellateSky #SkyLaw #StateCourts #clerkships 1/3
Our fantastic program coordinator is off to law school, so we're looking for someone to replace him this summer. Please share the listing!
State Democracy Research Initiative@uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social · last yr.📣 UW Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative is hiring! We’re searching for a program coordinator to support SDRI in all aspects of its work, from events to communications and research support. Apply here: go.wisc.edu/6p0b3n
This is a great brief from the ACLU. I'm glad to see parties emphasizing the supervisory power as another way to enhance constitutional rights. For those interested in a deep dive on this feature of state supreme court practice, I have a paper for you! papers.ssrn.com/abstract=514...
The Supervisory Power of State Supreme Courts
State supreme courts are currently center stage, as they face some of the most important issues of our time. But nearly all of the attention is focused on their
papers.ssrn.com
Matthew Segal@segalmr.bsky.social · last yr.FILED: brief urging the Supreme Court of Hawai'i to hold — as a matter of due process or using its supervisory power — that the police must record custodial interrogations. www.aclu.org/cases/state-...
SDRI's @miriamseifter.bsky.social and @robyablon.bsky.social submitted an amicus brief with other scholars in the PA Supreme Court on Friday, arguing the state constitution's democratic commitments prohibit the exclusion of mail-in ballots based on immaterial technical errors. go.wisc.edu/0w67yg
Pennsylvania Supreme Court – Baxter v. Philadelphia Board of Elections Amicus Brief Filed
PDF Available Here On March 28, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed an amicus brief with five other legal scholars in Baxter v. Philadelp...
go.wisc.edu
New paper from me exploring how state high courts use their administrative authority to enhance rights, expand remedies, navigate interbranch relations, and more. I also consider the implications on debates about court policymaking, legitimacy, and separation of powers. t.co/GbNuuL7hGo
I'm so excited to be joining the faculty at the University of Colorado Law School this fall as an associate professor! I'll be teaching state constitutional law, state & local gov't, and evidence. I'm so thankful to so many for all the support and guidance that helped make this possible.
As money pours into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race from Elon Musk, George Soros, political parties, and others, it's a good time to revisit our explainer on judicial recusal from 2023. Bottom line: campaign contributions usually don't require recusal. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...
Explainer: Judicial Recusal in Wisconsin and Beyond
Derek Clinger, Senior Staff Attorney Professor Robert Yablon, Faculty Co-Director PDF Available Here Table of Contents Introduction I. Background: The Law of Judicial Recusal A. Federal Constitutional...
statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu
We've updated our election litigation tracker to cover lawsuits in state & federal courts for 2024. Some takeaways: > High volume of election litigation continued > Most suits were in state court > Majority of cases focused on the voting process go.wisc.edu/q141gm
Election-Litigation Data: 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 State and Federal Court Filings
Following the 2024 election, we updated our survey of election-related lawsuits to help understand the role of litigation in our elections. This update underscores key themes from our survey of litiga...
go.wisc.edu
I'm excited to share NYU Law Review's new symposium issue, which came out of @brennancenter.bsky.social & @statecourtreport.bsky.social's February conference The Promise & Limits of State Constitutions. It's a who's who of top scholars discussing state con law. /1 nyulawreview.org/issues/volum...
Volume 99, Number 6 Archives - NYU Law Review
nyulawreview.org
🚨50 Constitutions Update🚨 Our latest update to 50constitutions.org adds tracking constitutional change features to 9 states! These tools allow users to explore a state's full amendment history. (Additional states coming in 2025!)
New starter pack of State Court Report contributors just dropped! Follow our list of diverse, multidisciplinary experts on state constitutions & courts, which have taken on new importance as the Supreme Court rolls back many of our rights. (And please DM us to be added if we missed you)
Just one more week to submit an abstract to our Federalism Scholarship Roundtable. Find more details at go.wisc.edu/y06t3p
Call for Papers: Federalism Scholarship Roundtable
August 23, 2024 The University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative (SDRI) is pleased to announce a Federalism Scholarship Roundtable, to be held on April 25, 2025. The Roundt...
go.wisc.edu
Shadow dockets aren't only for SCOTUS. Check out @adamsopko.bsky.social's latest piece for State Court Report on the striking lack of transparency in state supreme courts. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
State Supreme Court ‘Shadow Dockets’: More Power with Less Transparency
State supreme courts are shaping the law and resolving some of the most consequential issues facing society in ways that are almost impossible for us to see.
statecourtreport.org
NEW: Check out Professor Miriam Seifter's latest scholarship roundup in State Court Report. Recent articles have explored state shadow dockets, constitutional amendments, standing, and much more. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
Scholarship Roundup: End of Semester Edition
Recent articles address states taking policy questions away from courts, standing in election cases, and state shadow dockets.
statecourtreport.org
Check out our latest report, Shadow Shadow Dockets. SCOTUS's shadow docket has been much criticized, and SDRI's @adamsopko.bsky.social finds that state supreme court shadow dockets are even less transparent and more wide-ranging. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/research/202...
White Paper: Shadow Shadow Dockets
Adam Sopko, Staff Attorney Published: April 12, 2024 PDF Available Here Introduction In recent years, legal commentators have analyzed—and often criticized—the U.S. Supreme Court’s “shadow docket.”[1]...
statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu
Oral argument happening today in WI redistricting case at 8:45 am. See below for our amicus brief arguing that the WI Constitution requires new legislative maps. You can watch arguments here: wiseye.org/player/?clie... Our Brief: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/featured/202...
Wisconsin Supreme Court – Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission Amicus Brief Filed
On November 8, the State Democracy Research Initiative’s faculty co-directors Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon filed an amicus brief along with five other legal scholars in Clarke v. Wisconsin Electi...
statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu
Our latest report, Direct Democracy in the States: A 50-State Survey of the Journey to the Ballot, reviews states’ varied laws affecting direct democracy. You can read our summary and state-by-state findings here: statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/direct-democ...
