17+ hour, 56+ min ago  (373+ words) The lower court ruling came more than two years after the state high court allowed a challenge to a ban on Medicaid-funded abortion to proceed. A Pennsylvania court ruled this week that abortion access was a fundamental right protected by…...

1+ day, 17+ hour ago  (272+ words) Courts in almost two dozen states have rejected the U. S. Supreme Court's reasoning that discrimination based on pregnancy is not sex discrimination." It is a literal footnote of history " a footnote 20 from the nation's highest court almost 50 years ago " that says…...

4+ day, 17+ hour ago  (953+ words) The Supreme Court of Texas has long allowed cameras in its courtroom and takes the unique approach of allowing clerks to sit in on conferences. Wallace B. Jefferson joined the Supreme Court of Texas in 2001 and served as chief justice from…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago  (621+ words) With extensive protections for the environment, the Hawaii Constitution is a model for other states" green amendments and public trust provisions." This essay is part of a 50-state"series"about the nation"s constitutions. We"ve asked an expert from…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago  (480+ words) The answer likely boils down to whether courts believe masking is necessary for the federal government to do its job." Politicians at all levels of government have called for reforms to deescalate tensions arising from federal immigration enforcement in their…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago  (263+ words) State courts and constitutions can offer meaningful solutions to federal gaps in the right to counsel. State courts and constitutions can offer meaningful solutions to gaps in the right to counsel. With a U. S. Supreme Court poised to weaken the right,…...

2+ week, 17+ hour ago  (644+ words) The Ocean State's constitution is notable for protection of its surrounding waters; an update to the document in the 1980s included more than 40 amendments." This essay is part of a 50-state"series"about the nation's constitutions. We've asked an expert from…...

3+ week, 17+ hour ago  (420+ words) Breaking with decades of precedent, the court ruled that mandatory life without parole for felony murder violates the state constitution's ban on "cruel punishments." Lee is pathbreaking for many reasons, as Northeastern Law School Professor Martha Davis explains in her…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago  (770+ words) The approach of the proposed laws is legally sound, textually grounded, and more viable than many assume. States are now exploring whether they can reopen a pathway reminiscent of the one that existed under common law: state'law causes of action…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago  (1072+ words) A recent Pennsylvania decision barring mandatory life without parole for felony murder is part of an accelerating trend toward broad state constitutional protections for people in the criminal justice system. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking decision last week:…...