Court Case

In this case, Common Cause Indiana argues that the state’s election scheme unconstitutionally deprives general election voters of their First Amendment right to cast a meaningful vote.

The Brennan Center, along with co-counsel Kirkland & Ellis and Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC, represents the League of Women Voters of the United States, along with its Arizona and Kansas affiliates, in a lawsuit opposing harsh state laws that require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The Supreme Court unanimously invalidated three appointments to the NLRB because they did not meet the requirements of the Recess Appointments Clause. However, the Court divided by a vote of 5–4 on what types of recess appointments are permissible.

The Brennan Center and co-counsel filed suit in federal court challenging Texas’s strict photo voter ID law on behalf of the Texas State Conference of the NAACP and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives (MALC).

The Brennan Center submitted an amicus curiae brief explaining the virtues of merit selection of judges and arguing that Dobson v. Arizona presents an issue of serious importance in changing the state’s separation of powers.

The Brennan Center filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to affirm the constitutionality of aggregate contribution limits, the total amount that individuals can donate to federal candidates, political parties, and political committees during an election cycle.

The Brennan Center and several other groups argue that overworked public defenders should be allowed to refuse new cases assignments when their caseloads become unmanageable in a recent amicus brief.

On June 17, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Arizona v. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. that Proposition 200, an Arizona law requiring applicants to present documentary proof of citizenship as a condition for voter registration, is preempted by Congress’s power to regulate federal elections.

The Brennan Center filed an amicus brief in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Rhode Island district court’s settlement conference process. The program, which is being challenged by some bankers, helps borrowers and lenders negotiate affordable loan modification that restore value to distressed mortgage loans and keep families in their homes.