State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- Opinion
Texas Gets Election Reform Right, ‘Mainstream’ Media Gets It Wrong
The Texas Legislature passed the state’s election reform package, SB 1, designed to protect voters by fixing vulnerabilities in the registration and election system. This happened only when Democrats finally returned to the state after fleeing to the nation’s capital in May to avoid the special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott. This bill’s biased…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Texas Heartbeat Law Is Now in Effect. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Americans in many states support significant restrictions on abortion. Accordingly, policymakers are working across the country to enact policies that reflect this consensus, rooted in the understanding that life is our most basic human freedom and should be protected in public policy. A recently enacted Texas law that restricts most abortions after a fetal heartbeat…Melanie Israel -
- News
Biden Vows ‘Whole of Government’ Response to Texas Pro-Life Law
President Joe Biden condemned a ruling by the Supreme Court on Texas’ Heartbeat Act on Thursday, saying the court’s decision “insults the rule of law.” The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 late Wednesday night to deny abortion providers’ requests for injunctive relief against Texas’ new law banning abortion after six weeks. The president weighed in on the ruling Thursday morning,…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
‘It Feels Like the School Board Is Dividing Us,’ Virginia Mom Says
A Virginia suburb 45 minutes west of the nation’s capital has captured national attention because parents and teachers are resisting a school board that has pushed woke ideas such as critical race theory and gender ideology in the classroom. Shawntel Cooper is one of those Loudoun County parents who decided to take action. In May,…Douglas Blair -
- News
Texas Targets Social Media Titans Over Viewpoint Censorship
The Texas state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that aims to curb perceived political censorship by social media companies. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, would prohibit social media platforms from “censoring” users based on their viewpoints. “Censoring” includes actions such as removing content, banning users, demonetizing users, and suppressing posts, according to the bill. Users…Ailan Evans -
- News
Supreme Court Takes No Action, Texas Abortion Ban Goes Into Effect
Texas’ highly disputed abortion ban went into effect early Wednesday morning, uninhibited by any action from the U.S. Supreme Court. Abortion providers had filed emergency requests to block the enforcement of the Heartbeat Act (SB 8), which bans abortions after the unborn baby's heartbeat can be detected. The Supreme Court did not intervene, though it still may do so. “It’s…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
3 Teachers Now Suing Virginia School System Over Transgender Pronouns
Students in one of the nation’s wealthiest suburbs returned to school Thursday even as three teachers were in court to challenge a school district policy forcing all teachers to refer to self-identified transgender students by their preferred pronouns. The Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling ordering the reinstatement of Byron Tanner…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
North Carolina Report Highlights Indoctrination in Classrooms. Here Are 6 Stories From Parents and Faculty.
Is your child being indoctrinated by their school and teachers? This is what a report by North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican, tried to uncover. Robinson’s recently published “Indoctrination in North Carolina Public Education Report” highlighted incidents of both parents and teachers who believe that their school is foisting indoctrination on students or…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Climate Regulations Reach Critical Turning Point in Pennsylvania
If an independent panel votes down proposed regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers will have added leverage to prevent Gov. Tom Wolf from joining a multistate initiative to address climate change. However, if the panel approves the regulations in a meeting Wednesday, Wolf’s executive agencies likely would gain latitude to move…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Report: Wisconsin Lost Track of 82,000 Ballots in State Biden Won by 20,000
Wisconsin lost track of more than 82,000 mail-in ballots cast in the state in the November 2020 elections—more than four times the margin of difference separating the two presidential candidates in the state, according to a report by the nonprofit Public Interest Legal Foundation. The legal foundation, an election integrity watchdog group, released a research…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Energy and Climate Regulations in California Are ‘Green Jim Crow’
For decades, California has been viewed as a vanguard state, a province that leads America on things like entertainment, fashion, and politics. No longer. Instead, California has become a state to be rebuked, a place where a small group of regulators and politicians—with the full backing of the state’s powerful environmental groups—have created “a new…Robert Bryce -
- Opinion
California and the West Burn Again
Another dry, late summer in California, another year in which the state burns and towns get incinerated. Large, out-of-control fires have become a yearly occurrence in the Golden State. The fires may be so bad in 2021 that they run straight through the dry season and up until December, according to the U.S. Forest Service….Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Latest Alleged Election Fraud in California May Have Changed Election Outcome
The U.S. Supreme Court said in 2008, when it upheld Indiana’s voter ID law, that “not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election.” It seems we have a perfect example of this in Compton, California, where felony voter fraud charges have been filed…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Utah Teacher’s Anti-Parent Rant Exposes Broader, Disturbing Education Agenda
On the first day of school last week in a Utah high school classroom, chemistry teacher Leah Kinyon had little to say about chemistry, but a lot to say about what she regards as the stupidity of parents. In the course of a wide-ranging political tirade caught on video by students, Kinyon said, “Most of…Kimberly Ells -
- Opinion
2 Employees Sue Missouri School District Over ‘Equity’ Training
Public school employees Brooke Henderson and Jennifer Lumley have had it with the racially discriminatory training sessions taking place in their school district in Springfield, Missouri. The women filed suit Wednesday in federal court, arguing that Springfield Public Schools violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment by forcing them to affirm beliefs…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
A Court Victory in Texas Against Obamacare’s Transgender Mandate
The long march of gender ideology through our laws and government institutions lately seems more like a mad dash. But that advance hit a high hurdle last week in Texas. A federal district court judge blocked an Obama-era measure that forced medical professionals to participate in gender transition surgery and similar measures, even against their…Jay Richards -
- Opinion
Oregon Fails Disadvantaged Students With Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, discreetly signed a bill in July dispensing with the requirement that high school students must prove they can read, write, and do math before graduating. Although Brown signed Senate Bill 744 with little fanfare on July 14, she neglected to log the law into Oregon’s legislative database until July 29. The delay coupled with her departure from the usual bill signing ceremony indicated Brown wanted to keep Senate Bill 744 quiet. When it came…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
‘Kenosha Pleading for Help,’ Email to Wisconsin Governor Warned During Riots
MADISON, Wis.—The people of riot-ravaged Kenosha were pleading for help from Gov. Tony Evers with each passing day of chaos and destruction. When Wisconsin’s Democrat governor finally did act, the help he sent was too little and much too late. Emails from the nightmarish riots late last August paint a picture of a disconnected executive…M.D. Kittle -
- News
Texas Supreme Court Rules That Democrats in Legislature Can Be Arrested to Compel Attendance
The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Texas Constitution authorizes the state’s House of Representatives to arrest members who flee in order to break the quorum required to vote. The opinion states that “just as” Texas’ Constitution enables “‘quorum-breaking’ by a minority faction of the legislature, it likewise authorizes ‘quorum-forcing’ by the remaining members,” including by…Andrew Trunsky -
- News
Virginia School Board Adopts Transgender Policy Amid Parents’ Protests
Loudoun County, Virginia, one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, will allow male students who identify as females to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms at school. The policy also allows biological males to play on girls sports teams. The Loudoun County School Board voted 7-2 Wednesday night to adopt a transgender policy affirming students’…Virginia Allen