What We’re Watching
With so much going on, it is understandable for people to feel news whiplash. To help our partners stay focused and find the signal in the noise, we are happy to share what we are tracking this month:
The Main Point: Recent debates over the constitutional limits of federal power, alongside community responses to federal enforcement actions, highlight a broad moment of civic reexamination. Across the U.S., leaders, institutions, and communities are revisiting long-standing expectations around executive authority, institutional independence, and civic participation in real time.
Key Developments:
Why State-Based Elections?: Recent public comments by the President advocating for “nationalizing” voting — effectively calling for a federal takeover of election administration — have refocused attention on the constitutional limits of executive power. In the U.S. Constitution, authority to regulate and administer elections is primarily vested in the states; there is no constitutional basis for a president to unilaterally take over election administration. That decentralized design promotes security, transparency, and community accountability. Read more from our newly released “What is our state-based election system?”
ICE Draws Down in Minnesota: Communities in Minnesota and across the country have turned to sustained advocacy and organizing in response to federal immigration enforcement tactics that impinged on several Democracy Principles. Nonviolent demonstrations, economic boycotts, faith-led gatherings, and creative public actions effectively pressured Congress to demand accountability and oversight. Minnesota offers a lesson to Americans in other parts of the country facing violations of our Democracy Principles - sustained, creative, nonviolent advocacy and organizing across all levels and sectors can work to defend our democracy.
EPA and the Rule of Law: The EPA recently reversed its 2009 “endangerment finding”, which legally recognized that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health. This finding had long served as the legal backbone for federal climate regulations under the Clean Air Act, and had been upheld several times by the courts. Its repeal through administrative action, rather than new congressional legislation or judicial review, raises questions about adherence to the rule of law and checks and balances.
Why it matters: The separation of powers outlined in our Constitution help ensure that our rights and the rule of law are protected. As active participants in self-government, we can take heart knowing we are not powerless – that we can demand and ensure that our elected officials uphold democratic principles through sustained nonviolent advocacy.
Read more from the What We’re Watching archives:
