Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election not only failed, but some of them also rested on a misreading of the U.S. Constitution, as our new analysis argues. The relevant constitutional provision dates back to just after the Civil War, and contemporaries recognized it as a key protection of American democracy.
In November 2020, as it became clear that Trump had lost the popular vote and would lose the Electoral College, Trump and his supporters mounted a pressure campaign to convince legislatures in several states whose citizens voted for Joe Biden to appoint electors who would support Trump’s reelection in the Electoral College votes.
Activists take part in a #NotAnotherBomb day of action calling for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 18, 2024. (Photo: Uncommitted National Movement/X)
On the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, proponents of a U.S. arms embargo on Israel—which is on trial for genocide at the World Court for its assault on Gaza that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians—took to the streets of cities in states from New York to Hawaii on Sunday to amplify their demand of “Not Another Bomb” for Israeli military forces.
“It is crystal clear: In order to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, the U.S. must immediately stop arming Israel,” the Not Another Bomb campaign—an initiative led by the Uncommitted National Movement—said in a statement ahead of this weekend’s demonstrations.
“By passing this amendment, we can end Missouri’s total abortion ban and ensure that Missourians regain access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare,” said one organizer.
Organizers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom rally on May 3, 2024 in Jefferson City, Missouri. (Photo: @Missourians4CF/Twitter)
Voters in at least eight U.S. states will now be able to vote on constitutional amendment ballot measures regarding abortion rights in the November elections, and in Missouri on Tuesday, organizers celebrated as they learned their initiative to place a history-making referendum on ballots had succeeded.
Missouri voters will have the opportunity to vote “yes” on the Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative, which, if passed, would make Missouri the first state to reverse its strict abortion ban through a vote by citizens.
The ballot initiative was officially certified by the Missouri secretary of state on Tuesday, three months after organizers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom delivered more than 380,000 signatures to the state Capitol.
“This effort is a lifeline for Missourians who are now living under a senseless and cruel abortion ban passed by politicians who are deeply out of touch with voters in the state,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which helped to fund and assist Missourians for Constitutional Freedom’s signature-gathering campaign. “Missourians want and need to make their own healthcare decisions without government interference. Today, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom moved voters one step closer to securing reproductive rights, and we are proud to stand with them.”
Missouri’s abortion ban is one of the most extreme in the nation, with the procedure prohibited in almost all circumstances “except in cases of medical emergency.” The 2019 policy went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
In addition to reversing the ban, the Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative would establish that Missouri residents have the right to make their own decisions about reproductive healthcare, including abortion, contraception, and miscarriage care.
Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said the campaign’s gathering of nearly 400,000 signatures from all 114 counties in Missouri is a testament to voters’ commitment to reversing the abortion ban.
“As we turn our attention to the November ballot, it’s clear Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive freedom and will have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box. We are ready to fight so all Missourians can take back the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions,” said Sweet.
As numerous state bans have gone into effect in 2022, reproductive health clinics in bordering states that allow abortion care have been flooded with patients from other states, delaying care for Missourians, who even before the overturning of Roe frequently crossed state lines to get care. A hospital in Joplin, Missouri denied a patient an emergency abortion last year, in violation of a federal statute, because doctors were concerned that providing care would break the state law.
“Missourians have been suffering under a total abortion ban with no exceptions, leaving women and families in unimaginable circumstances,” said Margot Riphagen, vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers Action. “This cruel and unjust ban has put countless lives at risk and denied people the fundamental right to make their own healthcare decisions. By passing this amendment, we can end Missouri’s total abortion ban and ensure that Missourians regain access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.” “It’s time to put control back in the hands of individuals,” added Riphagen, “and protect the health and dignity of our communities.”
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom said it would hold canvassing kickoff events on August 17 and 18 to urge people to vote “yes” on the Right to Reproductive Freedom ballot question.
On Monday, organizers in Arizona also celebrated as the state formally certified their proposed ballot measure to establish the right to abortion care in the state constitution.
Advocates in Montana and Nebraska have submitted signatures for similar initiatives and are awaiting approval.
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“The floodgate begins to open,” said one observer. “The U.S. Air Force refuses to clean up their toxic chemical contamination citing the termination of the Chevron doctrine by the corrupt Supreme Court.”
The United States Air Force has so far refused to comply with an Environmental Protection Agency order to develop a cleanup plan for drinking water in Tucson, Arizona, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling that overturned the Chevron doctrine, The Guardian reported Monday.
Air Force bases contributed to the contamination of the drinking water with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often known as “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the body, breaking down only very slowly. The compounds, which were introduced by chemical companies in the mid-20th century, are associated with a wide range of serious health conditions, including cancer.
“Voters understand that raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do, even if their elected officials in state legislatures and Washington, D.C. remain inactive.”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama had been in office for just over six months when the federal minimum wage was raised to a paltry $7.25 an hour—where it remains today, 15 years later.
Wednesday marked exactly a decade and a half since the federal wage floor was last lifted, an occasion that advocates used to tout state-level pay hikes and make the case for a long-overdue national increase, particularly as the nation’s billionaires and corporations do better than ever.
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen from Arizona voters for this constitutional amendment is unprecedented, and we’re ready to stand with them through Election Day and restore the reproductive freedom they deserve.”
Arizona for Abortion Access held a press conference about signature collection on July 3, 2024. (Photo: Arizona for Abortion Access/X)
Campaigners on Wednesday turned in 823,685 signatures—more than double the 383,923 required—to the Arizona secretary of state’s office to get a proposed state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on the November ballot.
“What we’re turning in is a show of strength of the campaign, but also strength of the issue of protecting abortion,” said Chris Love, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access. “And I’m confident that we will obviously appear on the ballot, but more importantly, I’m confident that we’ll win in November.”
Then-Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry testifies during a hearing in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 30, 2023. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)
After an aggressive push by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Senate advanced a bill this week that would allow public funds to be used for private school tuition—sending what one Democrat called an “abandonment” of the state’s public schools to the state House, where it is expected to pass.
The state Senate approved the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program in a vote of 25-15 on Thursday, with just four Republicans joining the Democratic Party in opposing the bill.
Pro-choice rally at the Supreme Court, 2019. Photo: jordanuhl7/Wikimedia Commons/CC
Reproductive justice campaigners in Arizona on Tuesday vowed to make sure voters “have the ultimate say” on abortion rights after the state Supreme Court upheld an 1864 ban that includes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
“This is a horrifying ruling that puts the lives and futures of countless Arizonans at risk,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of progressive advocacy group Indivisible. “It’s devastating and cruel—and we’re fighting back.”
Recent polls show Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with their system of representative democracy, in which they choose candidates to represent their interests once in office.
When available, voters have bypassed their elected representatives and enacted laws by using direct democracy tools such as ballot initiatives and veto referendums. Ballot initiatives allow citizens or legislatures to propose policies for voter approval, while veto referendums permit challenges to legislative action.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with Governor Brian Kemp. Photo: Brad Raffensperger/Facebook
They may be the most important government officials you can’t name. Their decisions have the potential to alter election results. Scholars have referred to them as the “guardians of the democratic process.”
