What the 2025-2026 Supreme Court Rulings Mean for Democracy - States United Democracy Center

• A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging federal agencies to coordinate efforts to protect election integrity against threats posed by artificial intelligence. • The lawmakers are specifically concerned about AI-driven misinformation, such as chatbots providing voters with inaccurate information during the election cycle.

• President Trump is seeking a reconsideration from the Supreme Court after the high court struck down his executive order restricting birthright citizenship. • The Supreme Court previously ruled that the president's attempt to limit citizenship for children born in the U.S. was unconstitutional.

• The U.S. Supreme Court concluded a historic term characterized by landmark opinions and a heavy reliance on the "shadow docket" for emergency rulings. • Key legal battles focused on the intersection of gun rights and property rights, specifically through cases such as US v. Hemani and Wolford v. Lopez.

• The article examines 250 years of American voting rights, tracing the evolution from Vermont's early broad franchise to contemporary legal disputes. • It highlights how voting access has historically moved unevenly across different states, shaped by shifting laws regarding representation and redistricting.

• The European Parliament has revived a vote on the "Chat Control" proposal, which would mandate the scanning of private messages to detect illegal content. • Critics and MEPs argue that the move violates procedural rules and accuse the EPP, the largest political group, of abusing its power to resurrect a previously rejected text.

• The European Parliament has approved "Chat Control 1.0," a measure allowing the suspicionless mass scanning of private communications, despite a majority of MEPs (314 against, 276 in favor) opposing the regulation. • The legislation passed after being previously rejected twice in March, as EU member states continue to insist on maintaining voluntary scanning protocols.

• The EU Parliament has sent a child abuse bill back to the Council after a chaotic vote on Thursday. • The move follows a last-ditch effort by Europe’s center-right political group to revive the proposal using a rarely used procedure, despite lawmakers previously rejecting it in March.

• European lawmakers are moving forward with the "Chat Control" bill, which allows Big Tech companies to scan personal texts, emails, and social media messages. • The measure aims to identify and combat the spread of child abuse material online, despite a majority of lawmakers previously voting against the proposal.

• The U.S. Supreme Court concluded its 2025 term with several landmark rulings focused on constitutional interpretation and federal authority. • In Trump v. Slaughter, the Court overruled a 1935 precedent to grant the president power to remove commissioners of "independent" federal agencies, strengthening the separation of powers.

• Donald Trump announced plans to petition the Supreme Court to rehear a case regarding his executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship. • The Supreme Court previously ruled on June 30 that individuals born in the U.S. are automatically citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause.

• In the recently concluded term, the Roberts Court continued a trend of expanding presidential power while overturning longstanding legal precedents. • In the 6–3 decision *Wolford v. Lopez*, Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion striking down a Hawaii law that banned firearms on private property open to the public.