Brennan Center for Justice

Surveillance State Expansion: Constitutional Concerns and Section 702 Reauthorization

| Importance: 9/10

In a landmark decision, Congress reauthorized and expanded Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), dramatically increasing domestic surveillance capabilities. The legislation allows warrantless access to Americans’ communications and compels a wide range of businesses …

Intelligence Community NSA FBI White House Tech Companies +3 more surveillance-state intelligence-community fourth-amendment domestic-surveillance fisa +2 more
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Trump Declares Nine National Emergencies in First 100 Days, More Than Any Modern President

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump declared nine new national emergencies between January 20 and April 30, 2025—more emergency declarations in his first 100 days than any other modern president in that timeframe. The declarations invoked extraordinary executive powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers …

Donald Trump Elizabeth Goitein Brennan Center for Justice executive-overreach emergency-powers institutional-capture authoritarian-tactics constitutional-crisis
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Guidance to Georgia officials on mass voter challenges

| Importance: 5/10

A coalition led by Campaign Legal Center, ACLU of Georgia, and other civil rights groups sent guidance to Georgia election officials on handling mass voter challenges under SB 189. The letter outlined legal concerns about baseless challenges based on unreliable data, reminded officials of federal …

Campaign Legal Center ACLU of Georgia Brennan Center for Justice Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Georgia election officials +1 more elections georgia guidance voter-challenges sb-189 +3 more
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Brennan Center warns Georgia SB 189 spurs mass voter challenges

| Importance: 5/10

The Brennan Center warned that Georgia’s SB 189, effective July 1, 2024, dramatically eases third-party challenges to voter eligibility, enabling mass challenges based on unreliable data. The law requires local boards to hold hearings when there’s “probable cause,” …

Brennan Center for Justice Georgia Legislature True the Vote Right-wing activists County election boards elections georgia voter-challenges sb-189 voter-suppression +2 more
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