Legal Progress

Legal Progress is the legal policy program at the Center for American Progress. No matter the issue—health care, immigration, marriage equality, offshore oil drilling, privacy, ethics—the judiciary will continue to play an increasingly important role in the lives of hardworking Americans as well as in the success of the progressive legislative agenda. Through legal and policy analysis, communications and public education and convening key stakeholders, Legal Progress is helping to push the American legal system in a more progressive direction and educate the public about the impact of the courts on issues they care most about.

Latest

Uncounted Votes Report

Uncounted Votes

A first-of-its-kind analysis of county-level 2012 election data finds that, in 16 states, voters in counties with a higher percentage of minorities cast provisional ballots at higher rates.

Joshua Field, Charles Posner, Anna Chu

Texas, Where Are the Judges? Report
Then-Senate candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX), right, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) listen to a question from reporters outside a polling station in Dallas. (AP/LM Otero)

Texas, Where Are the Judges?

Federal court judicial vacancies in Texas are creating an untenable backlog of cases and denying Texans access to justice.

Sandhya Bathija, Joshua Field, Phillip Martin

Chris Christie’s War on Judicial Independence Report
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie attends a prayer service on the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. (AP/Eric Thayer)

Chris Christie’s War on Judicial Independence

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is engaged in an unprecedented effort to pack the state supreme court with justices who will rule the way he wants.

Billy Corriher, Alex Brown

The Voting Rights Playbook Report

The Voting Rights Playbook

In addition to addressing the aggressive voter suppression tactics that states have taken post-Shelby County, this report details the importance and power of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and the tools that remain in Sections 2 and 3 to combat voting-related discrimination.

Joshua Field

Criminals and Campaign Cash Report
As campaign cash has increased, courts have begun to rule more often in favor of prosecutors and against criminal defendants. (iStock)

Criminals and Campaign Cash

The findings of a new CAP analysis show that as campaign cash increased, the courts studied began to rule more often in favor of prosecutors and against criminal defendants.

Billy Corriher

Greece v. Galloway: Why We Should Care About Legislative Prayer Report
Protestors participate in a demonstration in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, March 25, 2015. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

Greece v. Galloway: Why We Should Care About Legislative Prayer

The Supreme Court’s decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway will not only determine what is and is not permitted when it comes to legislative prayer but could also instruct all aspects of religion in the public sphere.

Sandhya Bathija

Creating a Federal Right to Vote Report
People wait in line outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, February 27, 2013, to listen to oral arguments in the Shelby County v. Holder voting-rights case. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Creating a Federal Right to Vote

The Supreme Court's decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is clearly a blow for voting rights, but it also serves as a wake-up call for Americans to become educated about the lack of protections in place to combat voting discrimination.

Joshua Field

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