Decision Archives | American Democracy Minute

Federal Circuit Courts Block Trump DOJ from Obtaining California and Oregon Voter Data

January 19, 2026January 19, 2026

We have an update on the Trump Department of Justice efforts to force states to turn over voter and personal information for inclusion in its SAVE database. Federal district judges in California and Oregon blocked DOJ’s actions, finding neither federal nor state law compelled the states to do so.

Outlook for the Voting Rights Act Dims, as Court’s Conservatives Appear to Turn Away From Their Own Precedent

December 24, 2025December 24, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision will likely be released early next year, and its rehearing in October was one of the big voting rights stories of the year. Brian is off for a couple of days, so we're rebroadcasting this story from October. Happy holidays!

U.S. Supreme Court Tamps Down the Fringe “Independent State Legislature” Theory in an Important Decision for Democracy

June 28, 2023June 28, 2023

We now have a decision in Moore v. Harper, the “Independent State Legislature” theory case which had pro-voter advocates concerned for the future of voting rights. June 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that state courts DO have a say in election law, and that power doesn’t reside exclusively in state legislatures.

In Landmark Ruling, Alaska Supreme Court Rules that Gerrymandering is Unconstitutional

April 23, 2023May 4, 2023

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday, April 21st that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, invalidating the 2022 maps drawn from a redistricting commission which had strayed from its constitutional intent to be nonpartisan.