state governments
34 Articles
The Just Security Podcast: How State and Local Governments Can Fight Back Against Authoritarianism
Erwin Chemerinsky and Aziz Huq discuss the powers that state and local governments can use to serve as a check against authoritarianism and federal overreach.

This Back-to-School Season, Create Bully-Bot Free Zones for Children and Teenagers
State lawmakers and regulators should work to prohibit companionship chatbots that interact with minors as bullies.

Any State Can Make AI Safety Cooperation Legal
State governments have the authority to allow AI companies to coordinate on safety measures without running afoul of federal antitrust laws.

State Attorneys General Can Enforce Federal Laws the Executive Branch Won’t
To combat executive non-enforcement, state attorneys general are using antitrust law to hold corporations accountable.

“Fight Back: How States Can Counter Authoritarianism” Series
A series exploring the powers and authorities state and local governments have to check federal overreach and protect democratic norms and individual rights.

Governors and State Administration
Gubernatorial opposition is a powerful and often necessary component of meaningful state pushback against federal overreach.

Cities as Nodes of Resistance
Over 175 years later, cities’ historic role as hubs of resistance takes on renewed resonance in today’s era of rising authoritarianism in the United States.

State Imperatives to Protect Civil Rights for All
States need independent agencies with jurisdiction to enforce their residents’ rights so the valuation of those rights are evenhanded and not subject to political will.

Collateral Accountability: The Oldest Check on Federal Lawlessness
As a federal-level accountability desert forms, states are reviving "collateral accountability" — damages suits against federal officers who violate constitutional rights.

States Can Fight Federal Overreach by Protecting State Data
States must be vigilant stewards of their data — auditing what they hold, limiting what they share, and enforcing legal constraints against federal overreach.

Commandeering, Coercion, and Executive Power
States have constitutional protections against commandeering and coercion — but face a new challenge when the federal government sidelines states completely.

Introduction to “Fight Back: How States Can Counter Authoritarianism” Series
State and local governments have constitutional and legal powers that can be harnessed to challenge repressive federal actions and to advance meaningful freedom and equality.