On July 17, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued a controversial opinion that the state Pardons Board has sole authority to restore the voting rights of Nebraskans who have served their sentences for felony convictions. In April, the state legislature passed a bill (LB20) lifting a two-year waiting period in order to allow those who have completed their sentences to vote immediately.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National Voting In Prison Coalition (NVPC), a group of organizations dedicated to dismantling barriers to voting rights, objects to the recent legal efforts in Nebraska and Mississippi which undermine the voting rights of individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.

Common Cause is urging every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote “no” when the “SAVE” Act is expected to be brought to the floor later this week. The letter flags the legislation as a solution in search of a problem and stresses that the proposed “solution” would actually deny the right to vote to millions of Americans. Common Cause plans to key-vote this legislation in its Democracy Scorecard, which is sent to its more than 1.5 million members, as well as state and national press.

Today, in a ruling that likely comes too late to hold a trial prior to the election, the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. United States found that presidents are immune from prosecution for actions within their conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority, and are presumptively immune from prosecution for official acts and returned the case to the district court. Common Cause’s brief in the case had urged the High Court to rule expeditiously, citing previous cases – including United States v. Nixon and Bush v. Gore – where the Justices acted quickly when the presidency was at stake and the public interest demanded speed.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an injunction barring the White House and other government agencies from communicating with and encouraging social media platforms to curb the spread of mis- and disinformation. The injunction also limited the government’s ability to communicate with civil society groups to limit disinformation online. The case stemmed from government outreach to the platforms about the dangerous spread of mis- and disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines during the pandemic.

NEW YORK, NY -- This evening, a jury in Manhattan found former President Trump guilty on 34 counts. In response, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY issued the following statement: "This case was always about hiding key information from voters, and now a jury of the former president's peers have confirmed that he lied to the public by falsifying business records in order to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. This is a felony punishable with jail time or probation, and just like anyone else convicted of the same crime, we expect him to be sentenced accordingly. We thank the jury – whom Mr. Trump and his lawyers helped to select – for doing their civic duty, and trust that the public will accept their decision as well as their right to privacy. Respect for the rule of law is the foundation of our democracy, but so is public trust in the process. That's why Common Cause/NY fought to make the trial transcripts free and accessible, and we invite anyone to review them on the court website. We now hope that the courts will reach a decision in the other trials awaiting Mr. Trump before the 2024 election since voters should have all the information before they cast their ballots."