bolts

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Some 60,000 Minnesotans with past misdemeanor marijuana convictions will have their criminal records expunged by August, the Star Tribune reports: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-poised-to-expunge-misdemeanor-marijuana-records-as-early-as-may-felonies-will-be-reviewed/600355980/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

This morning, the Arizona supreme court ruled that the state can enforce a law adopted in 1864 that bans almost all abortions in the state. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/09/arizona-supreme-court-abortion-decision

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Three years after the state supreme court voided direct democracy in Mississippi, all legislative proposals to revive it died again this week.

NEW in @bolts from @taniel: https://boltsmag.org/mississippi-keeps-door-shut-on-ballot-initiatives/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Is your state electing supreme court justices this year? Find out in our new guide: https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2024-supreme-court-elections/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

The co-sponsor of a Massachusetts bill to further limit solitary confinement says that keeping people in isolation “is not actually about security.” “Is putting someone in a deeply traumatizing environment really going to help them when they are released?” https://boltsmag.org/massachusetts-solitary-confinement/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Alabama already had some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. A law signed by Governor Kay Ivey last month makes it even harder to vote by mail. https://boltsmag.org/alabama-law-absentee-voting-law/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Crystal Mason, a Black woman in Texas who had been sentenced to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot while on probation, was acquitted last week after a long legal saga. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/28/crystal-mason-texas-woman-acquitted

bolts, 2 months ago to random

In a ruling that could affect tens of thousands of votes this fall, a federal court ruled yesterday that Pennsylvania mail-in ballots that are undated should not count even if they arrive on time. https://penncapital-star.com/justice-the-courts/undated-pennsylvania-mail-in-ballots-should-not-be-counted-appeals-court-rules/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Paid organizers who help collect or deliver absentee ballots in Alabama could now face a class C felony charge under a controversial new law — the same felony class as looting, stalking, and more, and which is punishable by up to ten years in prison. https://boltsmag.org/alabama-law-absentee-voting-law/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Alabama Republicans this month passed a new law criminalizing some absentee ballot assistance. Voting rights groups in the state who believe the law is unconstitutional have vowed to fight back.

NEW in @bolts: https://boltsmag.org/alabama-law-absentee-voting-law/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Michigan automatically registers people to vote when they get driver's licenses.

It adopted a new law last fall that will also register people automatically when they sign up for Medicaid, obtain a Native American tribal ID, or are released from prison. https://boltsmag.org/michigan-automatic-voter-registration-prison/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

While the U.S. Constitution prohibits “cruel and unusual” punishments, many advocates for sentencing reform are turning to state constitutions: Some contain language that may allow more expansive protections.

https://boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-case-life-without-parole-felony-murder/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Missouri organizers spent 11 months jumping through bureaucratic and legal hoops for their ballot initiatives to protect abortion rights. They now have until May to gather more than 170,000 signatures to get it on the November ballot.

https://boltsmag.org/attorneys-general-stall-ballot-measures/

bolts, 2 months ago to random

Pennsylvania tosses thousands of ballots over small errors. A new county official wants to save them with an “ice cream truck for voting” — sending out election workers where people live to help them cure their mail ballots. https://boltsmag.org/mobile-ballot-curing-in-pennsylvania/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

Time is ticking for Arkansas organizers who want to get a government transparency ballot measure before voters this November. After the attorney general repeatedly rejected their petition and stalled the procedures, they have until July to gather 90,000 signatures. https://boltsmag.org/attorneys-general-stall-ballot-measures/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

In an unusual game of musical chairs, four Arkansas justices are running for different seats than their own next week. Any vacancies created would then be filled by the state’s staunchly conservative governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders: https://boltsmag.org/arkansas-supreme-court-appointments/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

“Oligarchic agendas have everything to gain from shutting down the initiative process.”

Three organizers in Arkansas, Idaho, and Ohio discuss attacks on direct democracy in their states, and share frustrations, messages, and tips with each other.
https://boltsmag.org/direct-democracy-roundtable-ohio-arkansas-idaho/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

A Colorado bill that proposed giving people up to $3,000 upon release from prison was killed this month over concerns about cost. Its proponents had pointed out that it would save the state money if it led to a decrease in recidivism: https://boltsmag.org/colorado-session-cash-aid-bill/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

Four justices on Arkansas’ highest court are trying to jump to different seats on the bench, a situation that could empower the conservative governor by granting her more appointments.

NEW in Bolts from @taniel: https://boltsmag.org/arkansas-supreme-court-appointments/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

A bill that would ban most forms of solitary confinement in D.C. hasn't progressed much since being introduced last year.

“It’s really hard to draw attention to an issue that no one can see, hear or smell,” one advocate for reform told Bolts. https://boltsmag.org/solitary-confinement-dc-jail-erase-act/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

D.C. Jail authorities claim to no longer use solitary confinement, but still isolate people with mental health crises in "safe cells." A bill introduced in September seeks to limit this practice.

NEW in Bolts: https://boltsmag.org/solitary-confinement-dc-jail-erase-act/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

In New Jersey, 25% of Black adults are barred from ever serving on a jury.

“We’re whitewashing a space that’s disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities,” said one lawyer. “Which calls into question: who is getting a jury of one’s peers?” https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-juries-service-people-with-criminal-convictions/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

Uvalde County DA Christina Mitchell has been accused of shielding local cops from consequences for their failures during the 2022 shooting. She is all but guaranteed re-election this year as no one challenged her. https://boltsmag.org/texas-criminal-justice-elections-in-2024/

bolts, 3 months ago to random

After years of being whittled away, the Voting Rights Act unexpectedly survived an existential threat in 2023.

But the reprieve may have been temporary: Conservatives are targeting the law with major threats this year. Bolts breaks them down: https://boltsmag.org/threats-to-voting-rights-act-section-2/