Current Issues
US Supreme Court
Supreme Court Code-of-Conduct
A key bipartisan bill was introduced (April 26) in the Senate by Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that requires adoption by the Supreme Court ...
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Constitution & Rights
14th Amendment & Federal Debt
There is growing support for the use of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution to enable the President to ignore the Federal debt limit of law to enable the payment ...
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Education and Teaching
States Joining "Don’t Say Gay" Law Movement
Iowa enacted a “don’t say gay” law (May 26) similar to those enacted in Florida and Alabama, and which are under consideration ...
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Policing Reform
Bipartisan Police Reform Negotiations
While bipartisan discussions have reportedly re-started within the new 118th Congress, there is no indication ...
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Voting & Democracy
Census Undercounting of Minority Populations
The Census Bureau released the results (March 10, 2022) of its post-enumeration survey and analysis following the 2020 census. While the results showed ...
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Criminal Justice Reform
Updated Prosecution and Sentencing Policy on Cocaine
The Justice Department updated (December 16) its sentencing guidelines on drug cases. The most ...
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Workplace Misconduct
Forced Arbitration in Sexual Assault/Harassment Cases
Congress completed consideration and passed the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021” (February 10, 2022). The legislation bans arbitration agreements that preclude a party from filing a lawsuit in court involving sexual assault or ...
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Gun Access/Gun Violence
Assault Weapon Bans
Washington state became the latest state to ban the sale of assault weapons (April 25), the tenth US state to do so. Washington joins California, Connecticut, Delaware ...
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Abortion & Contraception
South Carolina Changes - Enacted
The South Carolina legislature, which rejected a near total abortion ban in April, passed a slightly less restrictive measure that was subsequently signed into law by the ...
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Research & Analysis
The Death Penalty in 2022 - Year
End Report
Death Penalty Information Center
This report (December 2022) provides a summary of 2022 death penalty data for the United States, including the number of persons on death row and the number of executions. Data on the number of botched executions are also provided.
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FY 2021 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military
DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office
This report (September 2022) provides data on reported sexual assault cases in the military during FY 2021. DoD received a total of 8,866 reports of sexual assault, an increase of 1,050 reports from the 7,816 reports received in FY 2020, driven in large part from a 25.6% increase in the Army and a 9.2% increase in the Navy.
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Mar-a-Largo Redacted Affadavit
District Court - Florida
This redacted affadavit (August 26) provides the basis for the FBI's justification to search the Mar-a-Largo residence of former President Trump.
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Towards a Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
This paper (March 2022) analyzes issues related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) bias as a “first step on the roadmap” for developing methods/standards to address bias. The paper examines the challenges inherent in AI bias, how such bias might be identified and managed, and suggests preliminary guidance.
Hot Yoga Tallahassee: A Case Study in Misogynistic Extremism
U.S. Secret
This report by the U.S. Secret Service, provides a "case study" of the threat posed by misogynistic extremism, and lays out a multidisciplinary threat assessment that could reduce the risk of future tragedies.
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Voting Laws Roundup
Brennan Center for Justice
This website provides a summary of State voting law changes through December 2021.
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First Step Act - Wikipedia Page
Wikipedia
This Wikipedia website page details the specifics fo the background and provisions of the First Step Act, a law that focuses on reducing recidivism of the Federal prisoner population.
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Gender Pay Gap
Pew Research Center
This website page provides an analysis of U.S. Census and other survey data, data which indicates that a gender pay gap exists.
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Roe vs. Wade Case Summary: What You Need to Know
FindLaw.com
This website page provides a summary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision including the key elements and considerations relevant to today's abortion rights issues and legal challenges.
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Federal Firearms Law: Selected Developments in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
This CRS report provides background on the basis for Federal firearms laws, as well as recent legislative proposals, regulatory actions, and issues under consideration in the judiciary.
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Key Federal Programs
Commission on Civil Rights
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$13,000,000
$13,850,000
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Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
This Year (FY 22)
Budget Proposal (FY 23)
Enacted (FY 23)
% Change
$420,000,000
$464,650,000
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---
Supplementals (FY 21-22)
$0
