State Courts

The vast majority of individuals who interact with the legal system will do so through the state court system. And for as long as the federal judiciary remains in the control of far-right reactionaries with too much power, state courts will seem to be a more viable path for litigation that advances the rights of the American people.

However, without adequate democratic engagement, these courts are also at risk of experiencing a crisis of legitimacy and being fully captured by the same forces that have taken control of the federal courts. We recognize that we must increase the public’s oversight of these courts, in order to ensure that state judiciaries are accountable to the people.

Current Campaigns

  • Conducting innovative research into state courts and raising awareness about what state courts are, what they’re doing, and why it matters.
  • Building a pipeline of pro-people law students and lawyers who see service on the bench as a plausible path for a to pursue, and who have the training, network, and other support necessary to do so.
  • Supporting on-the-ground campaigns for judicial accountability. We work with our organizers and other allies to hold accountable pro-corporate and pro-carceral judges and judicial candidates, and to build community-led movements to push for a better vision of justice.
  • Working with the Center for Community Alternatives to build the State Courts Organizing Network, which unites grassroots organizations and activists nationwide to influence judicial selection and shift judicial decision-making at the local level. Through this network, we’re building a community of grassroots leaders who can share best practices and resources, learn from one another, and collaborate to build stronger state courts across the country.

Past Highlights

Advocating for professional diversity on state benches across the country

Coalition Calls For More Diversity On CT Supreme Court, State’s Bench Overall

Fighting attacks on pro-people judges and justices

NC Judge Earls fights for job and free speech, challenges Judicial Standards Commission’s role in unprecedented state case

Raising awareness of the need for ethics reform in state courts

Not just the Supreme Court: Ethics troubles plague state high courts, too