Brennan Center for Justice

New York, N.Y. Aug. 9, 2018 –  The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law filed a lawsuit this week against the Justice Department after it failed to turn over key information about terrorism-related prosecutions. The information is needed to provide context for President Trump’s misleading assertion that the vast majority of people convicted of terrorism […]

New York, N.Y. July 20, 2018 – In the wake of a 2013 Supreme Court decision that gutted federal protections for voters, a quiet threat to voting rights has grown — purges of voter registration rolls. And it’s a trend that could silence millions of voices at the polls this November, according to a new report […]

New York, N.Y. March 20, 2018 – Members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released recommendations today for steps that the Department of Homeland Security, and state and local election officials, should take to secure voting infrastructure from foreign tampering. Lawmakers’ suggestions largely mirror solutions that election experts from the Brennan Center for […]

New York, N.Y. March 17, 2018 –  By a number of key metrics, the country has failed to make significant progress securing voting machines, despite increasing warnings about system vulnerabilities from election officials and national security experts. An analysis released by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law comes amid concerns about […]

Feb. 15, 2018 – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that President Trump’s third attempt to institute the Muslim Ban promised during his presidential campaign is likely unconstitutional. The case is now poised to come before the U.S. Supreme Court, which allowed the ban to be implemented until related litigation […]

February 7, 2018 – Today, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a “National Vetting Center” for immigrants and travelers to the U.S. Faiza Patel, co-director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law’s Liberty & National Security Program, issued the following statement: “We already rigorously vet people traveling to the U.S., so […]

New York, NY January 3, 2018 – The White House announced tonight it is disbanding the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released the following statements in response: “This commission started as a tragedy and ended as a farce,” said Michael Waldman, the president of […]

Dec. 18, 2017 – Under the Constitution, our courts are obliged to provide equal justice regardless of wealth, status, or political connections. But at a time when courts are increasingly called upon to check the excesses of our political system, a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and […]

Nov. 1, 2017 – Following yesterday’s tragic terror attack in New York City, President Trump swiftly pivoted to promoting his longstanding immigration agenda. In statements over the past 24 hours, Trump said that he has “ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program” and also that he has begun the process of […]

New York, NY September 25, 2017 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s latest Uniform Crime Reporting Program data, released today, found that the overall crime rate fell for the 15th year in a row in 2016. It also found the national murder rate increased, due in part to upticks in cities like Chicago. The FBI’s […]

New York, NY — Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he has been receiving and acting on recommendations from a Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. The panel, created in February under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, was asked to provide recommendations by Thursday, July 27. Task Force guidance already […]

Washington, D.C. June 1, 2017 – Concerned by the nature of the involvement of the attorney general and deputy attorney general in the termination of FBI Director James Comey, the Center for American Progress, the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, American Oversight, and Professor Kathleen Clark sent a […]

May 25, 2017 – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld an injunction against President Trump’s highly contested travel ban that targets six Muslim majority countries and blocks refugees from around the world. The court found that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the […]

NEW YORK, NY, May 15, 2017 – Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors to return to aggressive practices of the past that put more people behind bars unnecessarily, wasted government resources, and had little public safety benefit. Under the Obama administration, prosecutors were given discretion to seek lower sentences that would not trigger federal […]

May 11, 2017 – According to news reports, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that will create a “Presidential Commission on Election Integrity.” Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach are reported to be Chair and Vice Chair. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of […]

April 18, 2017 – Crime rates have dropped dramatically and remain near historic lows, despite localized increases in some places, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law analyzing data from the last quarter-century. In Crime Trends: 1990-2016, a team of economics and policy researchers analyzed data […]

March 16, 2017 – The Trump administration is reportedly planning to revamp a controversial program, “Countering Violent Extremism,” to focus solely and explicitly on American Muslims, potentially even renaming it “Countering Islamic Extremism.” But a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the most comprehensive look yet at these […]

Feb. 7, 2017 – Today, the House Administration Committee, by a party-line 6-3 vote, approved the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Termination Act (H.R. 634) and a bill to dissolve the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (H.R. 133). H.R. 634 would eliminate the EAC, an independent government agency that sets security standards for voting machines and functions […]

NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 27, 2017 – President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order opening a wide-reaching investigation into voter fraud in American elections. This follows Trump’s false claim that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally in the 2016 election. Reports indicate “the probe would likely be carried out through Trump’s Justice […]