CIVIL RIGHTS POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Civil Rights Posts
DOJ Files Lawsuit In Alaska To Block Certification of Results Before Voting Complete (Civil Rights Policy Brief #258)
On October 22, 2026 the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit in the United States Federal District Court for the District of Alaska for injunctive and declaratory relief pending the results of the upcoming 2026 election for Senator in the State of Alaska. The lawsuit seeks to prevent certification of the election if the incumbent Republican Senator loses the election.
First Amendment Challenge to Campus Speech Bans (Texas) (Civil Rights Brief #257)
On October 6, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit heard oral arguments in a major First Amendment challenge regarding Texas Senate Bill 2972. The state-level statute requires public colleges and universities across Texas to enforce strict restrictions on expressive activities, banning student demonstrations, rallies, and overnight speech between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., as well as during final exam weeks. Student groups across the University of Texas system filed a federal lawsuit to block the enforcement of SB 2972, arguing that the law unconstitutionally chills political assembly and free speech on public grounds. While lower federal courts previously granted a temporary injunction to halt key parts of the ban, state attorneys presented arguments before the 5th Circuit this week urging the appeals panel to reinstate the overnight restrictions.
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump and Mail Ballots (Part 1) (Civil Rights Policy Brief #256)
Policy Summary: On March 31, 2026 President Donald Trump issued the executive order (EO) titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.” The order had two main components – the establishment of state citizenship lists of every citizen in the state eligible to vote and directing the United States Postal Service with creating and implementing rules regarding the use, delivery and acceptance of mail – ballots used by each individual State.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship in Trump v. Barbara (Civil Rights Policy Brief #255)
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed Executive Order (EO) 14160. The EO is called Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship. The Order was intended to overturn the constitutional rule that recognizes birthright citizenship.
United States Supreme Court Upholds Mail Ballot Receipt Grace Periods (Civil Rights Policy Brief #254)
Civil Rights Policy Brief #254 | July 5, 2026 | Rodney A. Maggay Policy Summary: In 2024 prior to the United States elections the Republican National Committee and the Trump Campaign filed numerous legal challenges that sought to invalidate mail voting ballot receipt...
A Preview of Supreme Court June Cases (Civil Rights Policy Brief #253)
President Donald Trump may have gotten what he most wanted from the U.S. Supreme Court when it ruled on July 1, 2024 – by a 6-3 vote – that former presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution by, essentially, being president. Trump named three justices to the high court during his first term in office – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – and all three ruled in his favor in Trump v. United States (Barrett in part). The latest raft of major SCOTUS rulings, due next month, may continue to largely meet with Trump’s approval, or at least conservative priorities, but by no means is the court’s October 2025 term, as it’s officially known, likely to be a slam dunk for the right.
Why Louisiana v. Callais Is Problematic For The Voting Rights Act (Civil Rights Policy Brief #252)
After the 2020 United States Decennial Census Louisiana was allocated six congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Accordingly the Louisiana State Legislature drew its state congressional map that had five districts with white majorities and one with a black majority.
The Problem With DOJ Requesting Voter Roll Information From States (Civil Rights Policy Brief #251)
Starting in May 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) proceeded to request from nearly every state and the District of Columbia (D.C.) access to each state’s un – redacted and complete voter rolls. Each state’s voter rolls contain the list of every registered voter in the state.
President Trump’s Odd Proposal to “Nationalize” U.S. Elections (Civil Rights Policy Brief #250)
On February 2, 2026 President Donald Trump stated in a podcast interview that Republicans in a number of states should take over elections in their states in order to protect the political party. He then added that elections in the United States should be “nationalized” and run by the Federal Government rather than the current setup where elections are run by individual states.