Court Case

A coalition of groups representing low-income and minority voters sued the New York State and New York City Boards of Elections in US District Court to prevent the use of a voting machine configuration that would lead to tens of thousands of lost votes.

The Brennan Center for Justice and Reprieve file a brief as amici curiae in support of Salahi.

The Brennan Center, with its pro bono partner, defended the Arizona Clean Elections law in front of the Supreme Court in Arizona Free Enterprise Club v. Bennett, a case challenging one provision of Arizona’s public financing system—triggered matching funds.

The Brennan Center, along with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the Constitution Project, filed an amicus brief in a case before the Michigan Supreme Court case that seeks to address the constitutional insufficiency of the state’s indigent defense system.

In Doe v. Reed the Supreme Court decided whether the state of Washington can mandate the disclosure of the names of citizens who sign petitions for ballot initiatives. In an amicus brief that supports neither side, the Brennan Center for Justice urges the Supreme Court to craft a resolution to the case without impinging upon existing constitutional doctrine regarding disclosure laws in the sphere of money in politics.

In Kirk v. Carpeneti, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will determine if Alaska’s judicial selection system violates the federal Equal Protection Clause. The Brennan Center filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit, defending Alaska’s merit selection system.

The Brennan Center co-authored an amicus brief signed by 62 former prosecutors in support of a suit that challenges New York’s indigent defense system.

The Brennan Center for Justice has submitted an amicus brief supporting the District Court decision to reject the constitutional challenge of Plaintiffs to contribution limits for organizations whose major purpose is the election or defeat of candidates for federal office.

In these consolidated cases, which address the scope of the so-called “material support” statute, the Brennan Center submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of academic researchers and a professional media association.

Brennan Center represented Fair Vote in providing remedy to a Section 2 challenge against the Village of Port Chester.