Kathrina Szymborski Wolfkot

Legal experts identified the most important cases that advanced state constitutional rights this year. 

A review of recent litigation in state courts provides hints about the future of trans rights.  

Abortion-rights ballot measures failed in three other states, including Nebraska, where voters instead amended the constitution to limit abortion access. 

Courts in some states have ruled that laws requiring parental consent for abortion are unconstitutional, while Idaho forbids nearly all medical care for children without parental consent.

As federal same-sex marriage rights appear increasingly vulnerable, voters are removing discriminatory language from their state constitutions.  

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is considering whether requiring life in prison without the possibility of parole for so-called felony murder is unconstitutional.

The outcome of the races for three seats on the high court could impact Ohio law on abortion, voting rights, gun regulations, and more. 

Weak federal protections present an opportunity for state supreme courts to apply their states’ bans on cruel punishment to prison conditions. 

The court’s stance on reproductive health has shifted dramatically since 2018, when it held that abortion was a fundamental right under the state constitution. 

Recent state decisions have increased accountability for law enforcement and upheld laws aimed at curbing police violence. 

The vast majority of cases aiming to remove Trump from the ballot have been dismissed, but without deciding whether he’s eligible to hold the presidency. 

States have increasingly turned to antiquated, painful methods of execution in response to shortages of lethal injection drugs.

Seventy years after Brown v. Board of Education, state constitutions may be the best path to desegregation.

Over a dozen academics, practitioners, and thought leaders weigh in on the most notable state constitutional cases of the year.

The plaintiffs include 20 women who were denied abortion care and two doctors who say Texas’s abortion bans prevent them from meeting their ethical obligations.

The outage underscores the hurdles the public faces accessing court information across the country.

The decision marks the first time a supreme court has addressed the constitutionality of warrants asking search companies to identify everyone who ran a given search.

Though U.S Supreme Court justices pledged respect for acquittals earlier this week, state courts have proven more willing to protect people from serving prison time for crimes a jury found they didn’t commit.

Rulings in Oregon and Utah offer a road map for other state courts.