Ms. Magazine: As Federal Courts Strip Away Rights, State Supreme Court Elections Take on New Urgency
This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on October 2, 2026.
Shedding light on state supreme courts and the everyday consequences of their rulings is part of the mission of Alliance for Justice, a nonprofit advocacy organization that tracks federal and state courts’ activity and judicial nominations. According to AFJ president Rachel Rossi, state supreme courts matter because they have become the last line of defense for the protection of rights that federal courts are stripping away.
“In Montana in 2024, the state Supreme Court struck down two laws that would have limited Native American voters’ access to the ballot. That court also protected the use of student IDs and the state’s ability to send ballots to individuals under 18 who would have turned 18 on Election Day. So, you know, critical democracy and voting rights rulings,” Rossi tells Ms. She notes, “In 2025, the Montana state Supreme Court struck down a 20-week abortion ban and restrictions on medical abortion.”