Erin Geiger Smith

Today at 3: Watch @brennancenter.org @statecourtreport.bsky.social panel with all-star education experts discussing this case and other Trump administration education actions, and how states can respond. RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

Seems like a good time to mention @brennancenter.org and @statecourtreport.bsky.social are hosting a free virtual event tomorrow on how states are handling the roller coaster of education cuts and changes. Excellent panelists! RSVP here: www.brennancenter.org/events/troub...

Wisconsin Justices Appear Hostile to 175-Year-Old Abortion Law The dispute over whether the 1849 law bans nearly all abortions in the state is a sign of a “world gone mad,” one justice said.

BREAKING: The Wisconsin Supreme Court said today that an 1849 ‘zombie’ law does not ban abortions, contrary to arguments by state Republicans. During oral arguments, one justice said attempts to apply the 175-year-old law in the present day was a sign of "a world gone mad."

Today SCOTUS limited the scope of court orders (called injunctions) blocking Trump’s birthright citizenship order. To be clear, Trump's order is plainly unconstitutional & courts continue to have the power to stop its enforcement. /1

Thank You for Voting came out five years ago today.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring Trump to return control of the National Guard to CA Governor Newsom. The order is accompanied by a powerful opinion that affirms the rule of law, separation of powers, and the First Amendment. 1/23

Congrats to the team at Borgo, which is brand new but manages to feel like it’s been open forever. An absolute stand out in NYC.

I’ve edited several essays in this series, and it’s fascinating (and fun even) to learn the history and quirks. Montana’s is/was particularly unique.

Judge Strikes Down Trump Order Targeting WilmerHale

Breaking News: A judge ruled that President Trump’s order targeting WilmerHale, a law firm associated with his political opposition, was unconstitutional.

My Father Prosecuted History’s Crimes. Then He Died in One.

A beautifully written story of complicated facts and feelings. By @bernstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/m...

Law at issue shifts power to appoint elections bd members from gov to state auditor. Justices Earls and Riggs issued sharp dissents. Earls: “No one calls their accountant to protect their right to vote.” Riggs: Decision “threatens to erode the integrity of the judicial branch.”

North Carolina Court Enables a Partisan Shift on State Elections Board The court approved a law to strip the governor’s election board powers, risking creating a precedent for partisan power-grabbing.

On Friday, the NC Supreme Court allowed a major control shift over state election administration to stand, at least for now, despite a trial court finding the change is unconstitutional. @brennancenter.org's Justin Lam explained why this power grab matters. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Today @hankjohnson.house.gov introduced the TERM Act—a bill to create 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices. The bottom line is this: no one should hold too much power for too long. 1/

Things I learned: The Ohio Constitution is one of the nation’s oldest, but events in the last few years — repro rights fights, gerrymandering, questionable state supreme court decisions — have kept this 1851 doc in the news cycle.

I wrote about Allison Riggs in my 2020 book Thank You for Voting when she was arguing for voters’ rights at SCOTUS. Five years later, she spent six months demanding votes in her race for NC Supreme Court be counted. She won.

6 months after the election, the person who won the election will be seated. And those citizens who took the time to participate in democracy will have their votes counted.

ICE’s New Courthouse Arrest Policy Set Them on a Collision Course with State Courts The arrest of a Wisconsin judge comes after ICE walked back policies designed to ensure communities wouldn’t be afraid to access courts

My @statecourtreport.bsky.social colleague @douglaskeith.bsky.social in @slate.com on today’s arrest of a Wisconsin judge. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Arresting a judge for something like this is dangerous and wrong. We know that ICE's presence in courthouses makes our communities less safe. 1/2

BREAKING: The Brennan Center and other voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's recent executive order on voting and elections that violates the Constitution and could block millions of Americans from registering to vote. Read more in our complaint: 1/

‘Buckle Up’: In Montana, Republican Lawmakers Target the Judiciary Republicans in Montana and other states complain that liberal judges are tossing out the laws they pass. Now, conservative legislators are trying to change the rules, and the judges.

With state courts now deciding many of the most important cases in our democracy, legislators across the country are responding by taking aim at judicial independence. Must-read reporting from Montana which is facing "an avalanche of bills to reshape the judiciary." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/u...

Followed memo from White House directing AG “to seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States or in matters before executive departments and agencies of the United States.” www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

“We call on the judiciary, bar associations, law firms, and individual lawyers to speak out against this dangerous assault on the legal profession and the rule of law …” Nearly a dozen civil rights groups in public memo. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million. Note That Number. (Gift Article) A quarter century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it.

Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million. Note That Number.

A quarter century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/n...

By Matthew Haag and Katherine Rosman

Texas faculty testify against bills to screen universities’ curriculum for “ideological” bias Lawmakers say several bills under consideration Thursday would “address the unchecked authority of faculty.” They would expand university governing boards’ oversight powers.

Texas faculty testify against bills to screen universities’ curriculum for “ideological” bias.

Roberts issues rare public pushback after Trump calls for judge’s impeachment Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public statement Tuesday pushing back after President Trump called to impeach a federal judge that ruled against his administration in a high-profile deport…

CJ Roberts is exactly right re: judicial impeachment: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose." /1 thehill.com/regulation/c...

Trump Demands Major Changes in Columbia Discipline and Admissions Rules A letter outlining “immediate next steps” arrived less than a week after the administration said it was canceling $400 million in grants and contracts.

First story I read this morning

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/n...

Executive Orders and Threatened Cuts Challenge Public Education and the Courts Education rights expert Joshua Weishart discusses the effects of Trump’s education policy changes and how states are pushing back.

How are Trump’s education policy changes affecting education in the US? @erings.bsky.social interviewed education law expert @joshuaweishart.bsky.social about how states, universities, and other groups are fighting back, and how states might adjust to this new reality.

Great work by a great organization

High Stakes Supreme Court Elections in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania With court majorities at stake in both states, 2025 may see the most expensive judicial elections ever.

Want to know which elections you should be thinking about right now? The state Supreme Court races in WI and PA. @douglaskeith.bsky.social on the high stakes and who is donating big $$. (One clue: E.M.) statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...