Alicia Bannon
Director of the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and the Kohlberg Center on the U.S. Supreme Court. Editor-in-chief of State Court Report. All opinions are my own.
- Reposted by Alicia BannonOur totally kickass RA Arlyss Herzig just published a big SOLO piece on the effects of prison gerrymandering in the US. Check it out, and share it widely! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
- Reposted by Alicia BannonUtah's chief election officer, Lt Gov Deidre Henderson, has conducted a review of the state's voter rolls to identify any ineligible voters, including by running her rolls through the DHS SAVE Program. Guess how many non-citizens voted in Utah according to the review? Zero.
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonNEW: Florida's high court will hear arguments tomorrow in Hubbard v. State of Florida, a case challenging the legality of one of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s prosecutions of people with felony convictions who thought they were eligible to vote. @berrypatrick.bsky.social on what you need to know:
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- Check out this fascinating conversation with Yale Law Prof Judith Resnik about her book, Impermissible Punishments, which traces the history of power & punishment w/in prisons. She spoke with my @brennancenter.org colleagues @lbeisen.bsky.social & @stroud.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnlV...
- Reposted by Alicia BannonFor The Ringer, I wrote about how amazing it was that the brilliant Catherine O'Hara finally became a superstar in her 60s, and how sad it is that she was taken from us just when we had all finally begun to appreciate her:
- Reposted by Alicia Bannonsome Public Service Journalism: I took that Minnesota judge's pdf list of court orders that ICE violated, found all the cases on CourtListener and linked to the dockets reason.com/2026/01/30/j...
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- 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...
- I LOVE these scholarship roundups by @miriamseifter.bsky.social. Check out the latest on state constitutions, federal-state conflicts, election administration, and more in @statecourtreport.org.
- NEW: A new semester (and deep freeze) make for a good time to catch up on state public law reading. Check out @miriamseifter.bsky.social's roundup of scholarship exploring state power in times of federal-state and interstate conflict.
- NEW: Excited to share this report by @milov-cordobam.bsky.social, detailing how legislatures in 2025 targeted judicial independence and sought to inject politics into state courts - at a moment when we are relying on them more than ever to protect our rights. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
- "ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence." The appendix documents 96 court orders in the MONTH OF JANUARY that ICE has violated.
- BREAKING: Judge Patrick Schiltz cancels contempt hearing Friday where ICE chief Todd Lyons was to be forced to testify, but excoriates ICE for defying almost 100 court orders in last month. "ICE is not a law unto itself," Schiltz writes. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
- States have more power than many people realize to prosecute federal law enforcement for violations of state criminal law. I wrote about the legal framework governing these prosecutions in @statecourtreport.org. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- This is exactly right. States CAN play a huge role in immigration enforcement, but it depends on what's allowed under STATE law. There's a bunch of state litigation right now about what kind of cooperation is authorized, which I covered in @statecourtreport.org. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law. The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia: tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonA magistrate judge found no probable cause to support arrest warrants for 5 people involved in the St. Paul church protest. DOJ appealed to the 8th Cir. That appeal led to this remarkable letter from the Chief Judge of the Minnesota district court… storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonState supreme court hiring info can be hard to track down, so I’m grateful to the @brennancenter.org and @statecourtreport.org for featuring this post! Thankful as well for the many friends who gave me the inside scoop on their state’s practices,
- NEW: For law students and young attorneys, state supreme court clerkships are among the most exciting jobs available, but the application process can be confusing. @jakemazeitis.bsky.social explains which courts regularly hire term law clerks and roughly how many opportunities might be available.
- Reposted by Alicia BannonIncredible resource! My state supreme court clerkship was an absolutely incredible experience, but the process of getting it was incredibly confusing. This resource is the type of thing I dreamed of when I was a 2L!
- NEW: For law students and young attorneys, state supreme court clerkships are among the most exciting jobs available, but the application process can be confusing. @jakemazeitis.bsky.social explains which courts regularly hire term law clerks and roughly how many opportunities might be available.
- Reposted by Alicia BannonTomorrow, SCOTUS is hearing Trump v. Cook, a case involving President Trump’s attempts to remove Lisa Cook from the Fed. It’s a glaring example of the admin's coercive approach to power. And it could pose BIG problems, even if SCOTUS ultimately rules for Cook. Walk with me...🧵⬇️@brennancenter.org
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonAt a time of conspiracy theories & stress on elections, SCOTUS just opened the floodgates to candidates challenging election rules, regardless of whether those rules will impact their races. The Bost decision could unleash frivolous suits to undermine election confidence or disrupt results.
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- It's always exciting to see @statecourtreport.org's work featured in @slate.com. Read about Florida's use of non-unanimous death sentences in this excellent piece by @skess108.bsky.social & @kasiawolfkot.bsky.social. slate.com/news-and-pol...
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- Yesterday the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that the state’s abortion ban violated the state constitution’s healthcare freedom amendment, originally an anti-ACA provision that established a rt to make health care decisions. Read @maryrziegler.bsky.social’s excellent analysis in @statecourtreport.org.
- New year, new set of state oral arguments to watch -- including several this week! Check out @statecourtreport.org's oral argument previews by @erings.bsky.social & @skess108.bsky.social. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- NEWS: A big ruling in Wyoming, where today the state supreme court struck down laws banning abortion. The court ruled the relevant laws violated the state constitution's healthcare freedom amendment, which establishes a right to make healthcare decisions. /1 www.msn.com/en-us/news/n...
- Happy birthday to the nation’s FIRST state constitution! Nathaniel Fouch tells the story of New Hampshire’s first effort at constitution-making 250 years ago. An important part of our national story and the spirit of ‘76. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- Reposted by Alicia BannonI have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643
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- 2025 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...
- I looked up some of 2025's most-read stories on @statecourtreport.org. It's an interesting mix! Post-Dobbs, a big question has been the scope of exceptions to abortion bans for medical emergencies. @maryrziegler.bsky.social analyzed the cases & issues to watch./1 statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonCheck out some of this year’s most important state supreme court opinions, including @miriamseifter.bsky.social contribution.
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonNEW amicus from @earlymodjustice.bsky.social et al. has a very important interlude discussing the difficulties of historical analysis for originalist litigation that, in turn, emphasizes the need for courts to look more to principles than to analogues... www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonState 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 👇
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- State Court Report asked some of the country's top legal thinkers about the most significant state constitutional cases of the year. Read answers from @dahlialithwick.bsky.social, Eugene Volokh, Erwin Chemerinsky, Justice Nathan Hecht, and many more! statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- Reposted by Alicia BannonWhat 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!
- NEW: North Carolina Justice Allison Riggs @allisonjriggs.bsky.social sat down with @statecourtreport.org's @erings.bsky.social for a wide-ranging interview about her career, her thoughts on partisan judicial elections & much more. It's a fascinating conversation. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonState courts shape daily life more than you think, but keeping up with the decisions that matter can be a challenge. From legal scholars to students to rights advocates, hear from some of our superusers about how they use State Court Report. Subscribe today: go.statecourtreport.org/subscribe.
- Across the country, state supreme courts don’t reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. I wrote about why having a diverse bench can help judges do a better job of getting things right. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- Reposted by Alicia BannonWho 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!
- A 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.
- Reposted by Alicia BannonA 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.
- Reposted by Alicia BannonOriginalism’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...
- More reflections on Bush v. Gore! Eliza Sweren-Becker @brennancenter.org writes about how a concurrence introduced the independent state legislature theory, threatening to strip state courts of power re: federal elections. SCOTUS rejected the theory in 2023. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
- I cannot believe it's been 25 years since Bush v Gore. I loved this reflection on the decision and the current state of our democracy from retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente. New in @statecourtreport.org. statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonIt starts with knowing the truth. Don’t allow yourselves to be gaslit into believing this is a real question.
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonMonday @ 10 AM: SCOTUS holds argument in Trump v. Slaughter. It’s a case about the president’s ability to remove Federal Trade Commissioners from office. It’s also a significant showdown over presidential power more broadly. A 🧵on issues to watch @brennancenter.org
- I *always* learn something when @ijsanders.bsky.social writes for State Court Report, even (especially?!) when I have a different view. He grapples with genuinely hard questions about how to give meaning to capacious state constitutional language protecting liberty. An excellent read!
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonThe fall semester has been SUPER busy for the members of the Historians Council on the Constitution. Walk with me through this 🧵for highlights from the historians' work on some of the most pressing legal issues of the day, from agency independence to voting rights... @brennancenter.org
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- Reposted by Alicia BannonHello! @adamsopko.bsky.social and I have been working on a proposal to charter an AALS Section on State Constitutional Law. We believe that such a section is long overdue and that it is urgent to foster scholarly community and support in a growing discipline. Links to support this effort below: ⬇️
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