Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Kimala Price, San Diego State University It’s been a year since the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and the predictions by several experts that the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade would lead individual states to ban abortions have …

The Biden administration on Monday announced $42.45 billion to connect all Americans to high-speed broadband internet by the end of the decade, likening the ambitious goal to FDR’s New Deal-era rural electrification program that brought the then-modern technology to farms and rural areas across the United States. The funds, which …

Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator The U.S. Supreme Court lifted its stay in a Louisiana redistricting case, clearing the way to add a second Black district to the state’s congressional map. The case of Ardoin v. Robinson stems from a congressional map with just one majority-Black district that Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers adopted …

Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix Just days before Florida’s newest and most restrictive immigration law takes effect, Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to allow states and localities to enforce immigration laws if he were elected president, including deporting undocumented people. Strengthening the nations’ border security would be DeSantis’ day one priority if …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Opponents of the proposed Public Safety Training Center—widely known as “Cop City”—near Atlanta cleared an important administrative hurdle Wednesday as the city clerk’s office approved their petition for a referendum on whether to cancel the controversial project’s land lease. The petitioners will now have just 58 …

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. …