American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast

U.S. Supreme Court Majority Says Trump Immunity Hinges on ‘Official’ vs. ‘Private’ Actions, and Alarmingly Expands Presidential Powers

July 2, 2024July 2, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled July 1st that former President Donald Trump has criminal immunity for his “official” acts as President, but not for “private” acts. The majority’s decision was not quite a “get out of jail free” card, but expanded the official powers of the President to near authoritarian levels.

North Carolina Senate Sends ‘Citizen-Voting-Only’ Ballot Measure to Voters, Fails Measure to Repeal Jim Crow-Era Literacy Test

July 1, 2024July 1, 2024

The North Carolina Senate endorsed a ballot measure June 25th prohibiting noncitizens from voting - for which there is already existing law. And the Senate declined another measure repealing a racist Jim Crow-era literacy test to vote, still enshrined in the state’s constitution.

What Are ‘Open’, ‘Brokered’, and ‘Contested’ Party Conventions, and Could We See One This Summer?

June 30, 2024June 30, 2024

President Joe Biden’s poor performance at the first debate with Donald Trump precipitated conversations about nominating another candidate at the convention. Can that happen? And what’s the difference between an ‘open’, ‘brokered’ or ‘contested’ party nominating convention?

Federal 5th Circuit Refuses Challenge to ‘Private Right of Action’ – For Now. It’s the New Battleground to Dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act

June 27, 2024June 27, 2024

A 2023 decision in an Arkansas redistricting case found individual voters did not have a “private right of action” to challenge the maps. The State of Louisiana tried the same tactic in its chaotic gerrymandering case, but was refused on June 24th. It appears to be the latest legal strategy to dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The SCOTUS Majority is Bent on Dismantling the Voting Rights Act. Lacking Federal Protection, Pro-Democracy States are Enacting State VRAs

June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

We reported recently on the impact of Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court majority’s decision invalidating Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Anticipating even more erosion of the VRA, some states have passed their own state VRAs.