Celina Stewart, Esq.

LoWV CEO Celina Stewart urges Chautauqua to educate, agitate, act - The Chautauquan Daily Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States, delivers her lecture on the power of voting Monday in the Amphitheater, opening the Chautauqua Lecture Series theme of “The Glob...

What an incredible experience speaking about voting rights and Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative to defend democracy at @chq1874.bsky.social! Thank you to everyone who attended this lecture. Let's unite and rise! chqdaily.com/2025/07/lowv...

At the storied @chq1874.bsky.social in upstate New York- looking forward to @thecelinafactor.bsky.social ‘s speech as we kick off the week on the rise of global authoritarianism. Glad the @lwvus.bsky.social could be a part of this event.

Bad actors would have us reverse decades of hard-won civil rights victories, increasing discrimination at the ballot box. We need the JLVRAA to stop them

Attacks on the media — be it public media or late-night talk shows — are attempts to erase our shared stories and cherry-pick which ones get told. This is inherently antidemocratic and unacceptable.

Poll: Most feel democracy is threatened and political violence is a major problem 76% of Americans think that democracy is under a serious threat, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. And their faith in political leadership in the White House and Congress is low.

This latest poll makes one thing clear: Americans are sounding the alarm on the state of our democracy—and they’re right to be worried. LWV knows democracy only works when people believe their voices matter and their votes count. This isn’t partisan—it’s foundational. 
www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...

When the Rule of Law Is Under Siege, Women Lawyers Must Rise | Law.com These legal trailblazers who came before us—women who fought to be admitted to law schools, to stand in courtrooms, to sit on the bench—did so not only for themselves, but for future generations.

I recently co-authored a piece with @cohen489.bsky.social urging women lawyers to rise in upholding the values of the legal profession during this pivotal time in our country.

Democracy is depending on us. www.law.com/nationallawj...

Supreme Court sides with parents who objected to kids' books on gender identity, sexuality The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of parents who wanted to opt their children out of instruction with storybooks that address gender identity and sexual orientation.

SCOTUS just green-lit book bans in schools across the country under the guise of freedom of religion. Our schools should be a place of acceptance and respect, not fear-mongering about the LGBTQIA+ community.

Unacceptable. www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme...

Absolutely horrible decision that is inconsistent with all our precedent. SCOTUS is preventing federal courts from doing their jobs to allow the Trump Administration to overstep his authority and trample on our constitution.

US supreme court limits judges’ power on nationwide injunctions in apparent win for Trump Court ruling leaves fate of the US president’s order to overturn birthright citizenship rights unclear

This is ridiculous and completely inconsistent. How can someone be recognized as a citizen in one state, but not in another? This decision is an attack on the rule of law and prevents our federal courts from performing their constitutionally required duty. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Let’s get real: SCOTUS is allowing a state to defund Planned Parenthood without any way for our most vulnerable to access the court system to fight for lifesaving healthcare. Shame on them, and shame on any legislator who seeks to deny their constituents care. www.msn.com/en-us/news/o...

Donald Trump ran on an anti-war platform. By striking Iran, he endangers Americans abroad and US service members. This escalation without congressional approval puts the US into another war that the majority of Americans oppose. It is another sign of this administration’s authoritarian tendencies.

Trans Rights Are Essential to a Healthy Democracy | League of Women Voters Over the past few years, the League has tracked a surge in legislative and administrative attacks chipping away at the rights of LGBTQIA+ community members, particularly transgender individuals. This ...

Today's Skrmetti decision ignores that everyone has a right to bodily autonomy. Parents and their children know what's best for their health—not the government. SCOTUS got it horribly wrong and the consequences will be dire.

LWV stands with the transgender community. www.lwv.org/blog/trans-r...

The arrest of Brad Lander makes me sick to my stomach. The arrests and detainment of elected officials -- this time for simply asking for a warrant -- is a feature of this administration's policy.  We need to call it what it is. A direct attempt to intimidate anyone who disagrees with their policy.

There is absolutely zero place in our democracy for treating a sitting Senator – for that matter, anyone – this way. I've never seen anything like this before. This is not normal, and it's appalling. Those agents and this administration should feel ashamed.

LWV will not stop fighting this administration’s attempt to blatantly disregard the Constitution. That’s why we’ve filed three amicus briefs over the past two weeks in birthright citizenship cases. www.lwv.org/newsroom/pre...

The Fourteenth Amendment is unequivocal and clear: any person born in the United States is a US citizen.

We cannot look away from what is happening in California. It is clear the President is attempting to manufacture and escalate a peaceful protest situation to chaos utilizing military force against protestors exercising their First Amendment right. This is a five-alarm fire for democracy.

The president of the United States should never direct the attorney general or any government official to investigate political opponents. Full statement: www.lwv.org/newsroom/pre...

Controversial Tarrant County redistricting approved amid public protests and partisan debates For the first time in 15 years, Tarrant County will see new precinct boundaries.

With so much happening nationally, it can be easy to miss local power grabs – but we have a responsibility to stay vigilant. This attempt to take away power from Tarrant County’s communities of color is blatant, and deserves our attention. @lwvtexas.bsky.social
www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/t...

Staying True to Nonpartisanship in a Divisive Political Climate | League of Women Voters At our core, nonpartisanship is not just a policy — it’s a bedrock principle that defines who we are at the League of Women Voters. As a membership organization committed to empowering voters and defe...

At its core, nonpartisanship is not just a policy — it’s a bedrock principle that defines who we are at the League of Women Voters. But nonpartisanship doesn't mean remaining silent amidst threats to our democracy. Read more about the League’s nonpartisanship policies: www.lwv.org/blog/staying...

REPORT: Making 30+ Million Voter Contacts in 2024 Election | League of Women Voters During the 2024 federal election, Leagues focused on uplifting all voters, across gender, race, political party, location, income, language, and more. As a result, they made more than 30 million voter...

LWV never stops fighting for voters. Check out the impact of our efforts in our just-released election report!

Highlights include: 30 million voter contacts, 9.2 million folks using VOTE411, 9.3 million voters protected through litigation, and 43 brand partnerships.

www.lwv.org/blog/report-...

US must keep control of migrants sent to South Sudan in case removals were unlawful, judge rules A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that U.S. officials must retain custody and control of migrants apparently removed to South Sudan in case he orders their removals were unlawful.

This administration is blatantly ignoring court orders and straight-up sending people to countries they’ve never been to. Incredibly disgraceful, embarrassing, and wrong.

The US Senate's attempts to highlight the Executive branch's removal of people without due process from our country should be commended.

Unfortunately, the measure failed on a party-line vote.

If we want accountability, Congress must stand against abuses of power. www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...

ICYMI: SCOTUS heard a rare May case in Trump v. CASA – to consider whether fed courts have power to issue nationwide injunctions.

Of course they can!  

It is wild the US Solicitor General wants circuit splits, where someone could be a citizen in one state but not in another.

Section 1983 is a critical tool for remedying civil rights abuses -- including voting rights violations. It is unconscionable that the 8th Circuit would rule that Section 2 of the VRA can’t be enforced under Section 1983.

Thanks to @legaldefensefund.bsky.social and the advocates who secured this incredible victory!

Redrawn Alabama electoral map intentionally discriminatory, court rules A federal court ruled on Thursday that Alabama's Republican-led legislature intentionally discriminated against Black voters when it approved a new electoral map in 2023 that only had one majority-Black congressional district.

A three-judge panel affirms what we knew all along: Alabama’s congressional map and treatment of Black voters were intentional racial discrimination.

This is a major win for Alabama’s Black voters and the VRA.

www.reuters.com/world/us/red...

Unite and Rise 8.5: A Campaign to Defend Democracy | League of Women Voters Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, we’ve seen increased attacks on our democratic systems and a failure by Congress to intervene. This came to a head in early April, when the…

ICYMI: A week ago today, LWV launched our Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative. We’re building a people powered movement to engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters across the country – join us!

Republican Jefferson Griffin concedes N.C. Supreme Court race after months of legal battles The announcement, which comes six months after the final votes were cast, brings an end to the final unresolved contest from the 2024 election.

Finally! A win for NC voters, but unfortunately, the damage has been done. Judge Griffin’s refusal to accept the results of this election for more than 6 months – and his attempt to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters – was absolutely shameful.

Justice Department will switch its focus on voting and prioritize Trump's elections order, memo says A new mission statement for the Justice Department unit that upholds voting rights shows it's being redirected toward prioritizing President Donald Trump's executive order on elections.

Still deeply disappointed that this administration is gutting the DOJ Voting Section. No matter your party, if you care about fair access to voting, protecting freedom, and upholding the integrity of our elections, this should appall you