Gloria Rebecca Gomez, Arizona Mirror Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order this week that preemptively blocks county attorneys across the state from trying to prosecute abortion providers. The action follows closely on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, which eliminated the constitutional right to …

Since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Shelby County v. Holder exactly 10 years ago Sunday, at least 29 states have enacted nearly 100 restrictive laws including many that are racially discriminatory, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice. The nonpartisan law and policy …

New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized Republican leaders for transporting asylum-seekers to cities controlled by Democrats. However, he later sent several migrants to Republican-led states like Florida and Texas. Between April 2022 and April 2023, New York City spent approximately $50,000 to resettle 114 migrant households in different cities …

Jennifer Shutt, New Jersey Monitor President Joe Biden pledged Friday to hold the line against attempts to restrict reproductive rights and abortion access during a campaign rally with the country’s leading abortion rights organizations. “The court got Roe right 50 years ago, and I believe Congress should restore the protections …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams When Ohio voters go to the polls in August for a special election to decide on the threshold needed to pass a constitutional referendum, they will be voting on whether to weaken direct democracy in their own state—but the push to do so is coming in …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A federal judge has blocked enforcement of a new state law designed to protect children from drag queens, ruling that its attempted regulation of “adult live performances” is unconstitutionally vague. U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell issued a 24-page ruling Friday enjoining Florida Department of Business and …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams Thursday’s reporting on a real estate deal made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett months after her confirmation in 2020 was the latest evidence, said a government watchdog, that ethics reforms at the high court must either be imposed by the judiciary or Congress. …

Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Texas and Louisiana lacked legal standing to challenge the Biden administration’s priorities on who should be deported. In a 8-1 decision, the court found that even though the states lacked legal standing to sue in this …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder A group of U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday approved funding levels for dozens of federal departments for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 — setting up a likely clash with House Republicans as a deadline approaches later this year. The move to advance the spending …

Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix In his latest move against the Biden administration, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida has sued the U.S. Department of Education for attempting to block its plan to find another accreditation authority for state colleges and universities. Florida filed a 41-page complaint in the U.S. …

House Democrats on Wednesday questioned former special counsel John Durham about his report criticizing the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia during the 2016 election. Republicans highlighted Durham’s findings that the Russia probe should not have been initiated, claiming it was a politically motivated attack on the …

The investigative outlet ProPublica reported late Tuesday that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took an undisclosed private jet flight to Alaska in 2008 with billionaire Paul Singer, whose hedge fund repeatedly had business before the high court in subsequent years. Alito refused to answer questions for the ProPublica story, …

The House GOP on Wednesday voted to publicly censure California Democratic  Rep. Adam Schiff for his prominent role in Democratic investigations into former President Donald Trump. The resolution, which passed with a vote of 213-209, formally reprimands Schiff and instructs the House Ethics Committee to look into his actions. All …

Ariana Figueroa, Kentucky Lantern Harleigh Walker wants U.S. senators to understand she is a typical 16-year-old girl. She likes Taylor Swift. She enjoys being on her school’s debate team. And she listens way too loudly to music in her room. “I’m just trying to be a teenager in America,” she …

Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have expanded vote-by-mail access for people with disabilities — specifically people who are blind or paralyzed and need assistance marking their ballot. Advocates say Abbott’s veto of House Bill 3159 is a …