Government surveillance reaches for the next level

Combining mountains of data with technological advances represents a serious threat to privacy and the First Amendment. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Federal Government’s Growing Data Trove

The Trump administration is trying to build a centralized database of people’s personal data, undermining privacy and constitutional rights. A Brennan Center resource uses interactive graphics to detail these data integration efforts and the dangers they pose. Congress and state and local governments must strengthen the safeguards around the collection and misuse of our data.

Stopping Mass Voter Purges

Most states allow any person to challenge a voter’s eligibility — a process that election deniers have taken advantage of to undermine trust in elections and suppress votes. To protect voting rights, a new Brennan Center report proposes setting reasonable limits on voter challenges and banning mass challenges altogether.

Election Risks from Abroad

The Trump administration’s deep cuts to the agencies and initiatives responsible for protecting elections have left American voters more vulnerable to foreign influence and disinformation operations. This comes during an election cycle in which China, Iran, and Russia are especially incentivized to attempt to sway results. In the absence of federal support, states, election officials, and civil society must coordinate closely to guard against foreign threats.

Intelligence Agency Out of Line

Other threats to elections are much closer to home. During a Senate hearing last week, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence refused to admit that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. The incident underscores the importance of restraining an office that has been weaponized to advance the current administration’s campaign to undermine elections.

High Court Opacity

The Supreme Court is increasingly making important decisions using its shadow docket rather than its traditional merits docket. More often than not, shadow docket cases are decided without oral arguments or explanations of the Court’s reasoning. This falls short of the standards of transparency and democratic accountability that we should expect of our highest court.

A Better Court

Congress has far more power over the Supreme Court than most people realize — and that includes the ability to set term limits for the justices. This week, senators introduced a bill to establish 18-year terms and regularized appointments on the high court. It’s a promising first step on the path to making the institution more accountable to the people.

Turning Point for Kansas Supreme Court

Next month, Kansans will decide whether to change how their high court judges are selected. If the state starts requiring justices to run in competitive elections, it could invite the kind of record-shattering special interest spending that has recently beset judicial races in other states. State Court Report explains what’s at stake in the vote.

PODCAST

Trump Ramps Up Election Meddling

This month, President Trump fired all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, the federal agency that helps states fund and administer elections. Before that, the Justice Department sent threatening letters to election officials across the country. But the pushback is growing stronger as well, as when a federal judge blocked baseless subpoenas targeting election workers in Fulton County, Georgia. On this week’s episode of The Briefing, Brennan Center experts break down the federal government’s latest attacks on elections and the work to protect them. YouTube // Spotify // Apple // SUBSTACK