Unlimited, undisclosed spending is playing an ever-greater role in state supreme court races, undermining the fairness of the courts and putting judges at risk of conflicts of interest.
Legal Affairs
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Scott Walker Leaks Could Force Supreme Court to Confront Dark Money
Leaked documents from the investigation into the Wisconsin governor’s alleged campaign-finance violations show how dark money really works in modern politics.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Violence, Mass Incarceration, and the Myth of Monstrosity
To achieve true criminal justice reform, we must first confront the violence in our country’s past and present.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Q&A: The Economic Consequences of Denying Teachers Tenure
A California court recently reversed a decision that would have weakened teacher employment protections. Economist Jesse Rothstein discusses the tradeoffs between job security and attracting new teachers.
Posted inLaw and Justice
The Five Worst Roberts Court Rulings
Most progressives would rank Citizens United v. FEC as the worst ruling ever handed down by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. But five other rulings are turning out to be even more disastrous.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Plotting the End of Super PACs
Having met with skepticism earlier this month when they lodged an FEC complaint challenging super PACs, reform advocates are now rallying behind a St. Petersburg ordinance that would ban super PACs locally.
Posted inLaw and Justice
The War over Obama’s Labor Agenda
The NLRB’s latest pro-labor ruling comes just as Republicans turn up the heat on their plan to undermine the president’s labor legacy.
Posted inCivil Rights in America
Court Deals Blow to Advocates Fighting Voter Registration Obstacles
Voting rights advocates trying to rein in the head of the beleaguered federal Election Assistance Commission are getting no favors from the courts. Last week, a D.C. Circuit Court judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction blocking what critics say are voter-registration barriers that violate federal law. Back in January, Brian Newby, the commission’s executive […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Forty Years of Experience with the ‘New and Improved’ Death Penalty, 1976–2016
Four decades after the creation of the modern death penalty, the system remains racially biased, costly, and prone to error.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Vermont Law Delivers Overlooked Victory for Privacy Rights
Recent foreign and domestic terrorist attacks have tilted the advantage on surveillance toward law enforcement and security agencies, which are using these incidents to push for broader powers. Civil liberties advocates can take heart, however, in a privacy victory that has largely gone unnoticed. In early June, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed a sweeping privacy […]
