DEMOCRACY DOCKET: Groups appeal Pennsylvania voting case to SCOTUS

 

Friday, September 27 Earlier today, members got the Pennsylvania breaking news sent straight to their inbox. To never miss a litigation update that could impact November's election, sign up for a two-week free trial. The U.S. Supreme Court’s next term begins in October Voting rights groups asked the Supreme Court today to rule on whether Pennsylvania's law to reject timely returned mail-in ballots with date issues violates the Civil Rights Act. A similar case is also pending before the state Supreme Court. Today, 15 Republican attorneys general urged the Supreme Court to adopt the radical independent state legislature theory — which the Court rejected last year — and reinstate two voter suppression laws in Montana. The right to make medical decisions is on the Supreme Court's docket again. This term, the case involves laws about transgender youth. And like every decision of this magnitude, lives will be on the line, Keith Thirion of Alliance for Justice argued in a new piece. In a new episode of Defending Democracy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joins Marc to discuss how we can restore trust in the Supreme Court, which he said is ironically "the highest court in the land” but has “the lowest standards of ethics.” Watch it on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts. THE SCOREBOARD Since Jan. 1, 2023 RNC asks Pennsylvania Supreme Court to weigh in on another ballot case The Republican National Committee asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's order that Washington County must notify voters whose submitted mail-in ballots have defects and allow them to vote provisionally at the polls. Ohio Democrats file lawsuit challenging ballot drop box restrictions The Ohio Democratic Party sued Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) today over new rules that restrict the use of drop boxes in the state. Democrats say the guidance is unlawful and ask the state Supreme Court to rescind the directive. Democrats defend Arizona’s voter rolls from right-wing lawsuit The Democratic National Committee stepped in to defend Arizona's voter registration lists from a lawsuit filed by Stephen Miller's legal group trying to remove voters from every county in the state. The Democrats say the suit is based on the "unfounded concern" of noncitizen voting. Less than half of U.S. states offer same-day voter registration Studies have shown that allowing voters to register and cast ballots on the same day increases accessibility and boosts turnout, especially among young voters. But only 23 states and Washington, D.C. offer same-day registration. Read here to learn why that matters.