louisiana
August 2, 2017 -
North Carolina now has a law in place based on a model bill promoted by the libertarian Goldwater Institute that regulates protests on public college campuses. The state also played a key role in the legislation's crafting.
July 28, 2017 -
Since 2010, the number of children under the age of 18 in U.S. jails, prisons and juvenile facilities has plummeted due to reforms like "raise the age" legislation. But the U.S. still remains a world leader in the number of children it puts behind bars — and the South leads the nation.
July 14, 2017 -
Eight justices who had previously dismissed a challenge to same-sex spousal benefits recently changed their minds. Some have argued they were riding a change in political tides, but there may be more to the story than a nationwide conservative swing.
July 14, 2017 -
A ballot initiative campaign in Florida and a lawsuit against Louisiana seek to restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they're released from prison. The efforts are parts of a broader movement to overturn felony disenfranchisement laws rooted in white-supremacist politics.
July 12, 2017 -
A perennial bill to create a national single-payer public health insurance program has record support in this Congress. Though none of the cosponsors are Republicans, they include a growing number of conservative Southern Democrats, signaling a shift in health care politics.
June 30, 2017 -
In his famous July 4 speech delivered 165 years ago, abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, "With brave men, there is always a remedy for oppression." Now is the time for Congress to be brave for democracy and vote to restore the eviscerated Voting Rights Act.
June 16, 2017 -
Arkansas, Louisiana and West Virginia are among the 10 states with U.S. senators considered key to blocking the deeply unpopular Republican health care plan, which is expected to come up for a vote before the July 4 recess. They're also among the states with the sickest residents.