Press Highlights

Shaping Debate

The American Constitution Society's network of progressive lawyers, law students, and academics is shaping national and local debates…and the media is noticing. Check out the latest news, op-eds, and features driving legal and policy discussions across America.

Press Highlight

Law 360: High Court Death Penalty Ruling Presents a Troubling Future

Mar 10, 2023
Christopher Wright Durocher, ACS Vice President of Policy and Program, published an op-ed in Law 360 regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's recent 5-4 decision in Cruz v. Arizona. Wright Durocher examines how the Supreme Court conservative supermajority has reneged longstanding precedent, but how Cruz may provide an opportunity for the Court to reevaluate its stance […]
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Associated Press: Dems consider break with tradition to get Biden more judges

Feb 23, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in the Associated Press, explaining why Senate Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee ought to eliminate the blue slip process for federal district court nominees. “Democrats would be chumps to say, ‘Oh well, we’re not going to do this because it’s a tradition,’” said Russ Feingold, the former three-term […]
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Salon: Don't ignore the Wisconsin Supreme Court race — it could be crucial for democracy

Feb 22, 2023
The significance of next Tuesday's Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election is known all too well by ACS President Russ Feingold, who previously represented the state in the Senate. In his op-ed in Salon, Feingold explains why this particular race is crucial for the preservation of our fundamental rights and the future of American democracy. "In […]
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NBC News: This obscure Senate tradition may decide whether Biden beats Trump's record on judges

Feb 22, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in NBC News, calling for the elimination of blue slips, the historic mechanism utilized to approve or reject judicial nominees by Senators from the nominee's home state. Feingold urges Democrats to remember how Republicans eliminated blue slips for circuit court nominees: "When Republicans had the advantage, they just didn’t […]
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C-SPAN: Russ Feingold on the Judicial Confirmation Process and the Supreme Court

Feb 16, 2023
On the heels of the Biden administration's 100th judicial confirmation, ACS President Russ Feingold appeared as the featured guest on C-SPAN's The Washington Journal, in which he discussed Supreme Court legitimacy, judicial diversity, blue slips, and the threat of an Article V Convention. When asked about the role and purpose of ACS, Feingold said: "The […]
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Washington Post: Senate confirms Biden's 100th judicial nominee

Feb 14, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in a Washington Post article highlighting the Biden administration's recent milestone of confirming its 100th judicial nominee. In the piece, Feingold both lauds the administration's pace of confirmations while cautioning against slowing the momentum. “This is the opposite of the moment to slow down. If you rest on your […]
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Daily Kos: A Critical Step for President Biden in Restoring the Soul of the Nation

Feb 10, 2023
As ACS President Russ Feingold writes in Daily Kos, President Biden has made "restoring the soul of our nation" a cornerstone of his presidency. Commuting federal death row could be a defining feature of the President's legacy or it can be an obvious missed opportunity. Feingold writes: "President Biden cannot stop execution sprees by the […]
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The New York Times: How to Stop a Senator From Blocking a Federal Judge

Feb 6, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was featured in a New York Times opinion piece which implores the Senate Judiciary Committee to remove any barriers to judicial confirmations by eliminating blue slips - a traditional courtesy which Democrats continue to uphold but Republicans are unlikely to return. As the former senator Russell Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, said […]
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CNN: Senate Democrats grapple with pressure to remove GOP’s ‘blue slip’ authority on judges

Feb 2, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in CNN, commenting on the ability for Senate Democrats to confirm as many judicial nominees as possible during the next two years. “This is a very well positioned situation,” said former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, who served on the Senate Judiciary Committee and now leads American Constitution Society, a […]
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Washington Post: Senators prepare for a showdown over judges and ‘blue slips’

Jan 30, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in the Washington Post's The Early 202 newsletter, supporting growing calls for the Senate to eliminate blue slips in order to advance President Biden's judicial nominees. “It is reasonable to eliminate blue slips for district court judgeships just as was done for court of appeals judgeships in order to […]
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