Dr. Adam Feldman, a Supreme Court scholar and creator of the Empirical SCOTUS blog, dissects the recent Supreme Court term and what lies ahead. He sheds light on the notable decline in caseloads since 1988 and how the pandemic influenced this trend. The discussion dives into unexpected judicial alliances and the complexities of decisions, including the impact of Chief Justice Roberts. Anticipated cases on topics like ghost guns and transgender rights are also explored, highlighting the evolving landscape of legal issues.

On this episode: Voters in nine states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota—will decide on abortion-related ballot measures in Nov. 2024. This is the most on record for a single year. Initiatives are pending signature verification in two additional states—Arkansas and Nebraska. Our ballot measures team breaks down what these measures have in common, how what we’re seeing this year compares to recent memory, and how these all may factor into November’s election.  **NOTE: This episode was recorded on Tuesday morning, August 20th, a few hours before Montana’s Right to Abortion initiative was certified; throughout this episode, you’ll hear us refer to eight being the current count of certified measures. Montana’s ballot measure is detailed near the end of the episode.  Read our reporting here: https://news.ballotpedia.org/2024/08/14/with-certifications-in-arizona-and-missouri-voters-in-eight-states-will-decide-on-abortion-related-ballot-measures-in-2024-the-most-on-record-for-a-single-year/  More on how this year’s ballot measures stack up against what we’ve seen in recent years: https://ballotpedia.org/2023_and_2024_abortion-related_ballot_measures  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole. 

On this episode: Day two at the Democratic National Convention is well underway, with former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama set to speak later this evening.  Today, we’re joined by GQR pollster Anna Greenberg, who’s attending the DNC in Chicago this week, to bring us inside the convention and tell us a little more about the Democrats plans for the upcoming campaign and a possible Harris presidency. Read our coverage of the DNC: https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_National_Convention,_2024  Learn more about Anna’s work: https://www.gqrr.com/team/anna-greenberg/  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.  Q and A (for Spotify ): Want us to cover a specific issue, topic, trend, election, or bill? Let us know here or shoot us an email at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org

On this episode: New York City–home to the nation's largest public school district–is planning to ban cell phones in classrooms across all of its roughly 16,000 schools. What would such a policy look like at this scale, and how do parents, educators, and students feel about its efficacy? Chalkbeat NYC Bureau Chief Amy Zimmer joins the show to bring us up to speed on where the policy stands and when it may go into effect. In the second half of this episode, Ballotpedia staff writer Sam Wonacott shares how these policies have played out in the states and districts that have enforced them to date.  Learn more about these sorts of policies across the country:  https://ballotpedia.org/State_policies_on_cellphone_use_in_K-12_public_schools  Read Chalkbeat’s reporting here: https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2024/07/17/nyc-school-cellphone-ban-could-take-effect-february-2025/  Subscribe to Hall Pass, our education newsletter: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Hall_Pass    Sign up for our other Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: Many observers of national politics might not have known much about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) before his ascendence over the last few weeks to become Kamala Harris' choice for a running mate, which became official last night. Why'd Harris choose Walz over other front runners like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro or Arizona Senator Mark Kelly? What's his record look like as a politician, and who might succeed him as governor in Minnesota? Is the Harris-Walz ticket official, or are there any more formalities left for them to secure the nomination at the DNC in a few weeks? Learn more about Walz: https://ballotpedia.org/Tim_Walz  Read a profile of Walz by one of our guests, Patrick Coolican, Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Reformer: https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/06/from-a-mankato-classroom-to-the-white-house-harris-names-walz-her-vice-presidential-nominee/  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: Texans have decided on 708 ballot measures in the nearly 150 years since the state adopted its constitution. Five hundred twenty-eight (528) measures were approved, meaning the constitution has been amended 528 times. One hundred eighty (180) measures were defeated, giving Texas measures a lifetime approval rating of roughly 75%. In the first episode of what will become a recurring series on On the Ballot, our ballot measures expert Victoria Rose joins the show to walk us through how ballot measures work in the state, explains why Texas doesn't allow citizen initiated measures at the state level (but does at the local level), and shares some of what she found most interesting digging through 200+ years of Texas history. The inventory of Texas statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historic Ballot Measure Fact Book, which will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States.  Check out our Texas HBM page: https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Ballot_Measures:_Historic_Ballot_Measures_Factbook Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: The first six months of 2024 have already seen the most recall attempts, and successful recalls of politicians, at this point in the year in the last ten years. What’s behind the recent surge in recall activity? In this episode, you’ll hear a full breakdown of BP’s mid-year report on political recalls, including this year’s most common trends, why states like Texas and Wisconsin are surging among others, and a breakdown of the most high profile recalls to keep an eye on. Read Ballotpedia’s Mid-Year Recall Report here: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Mid-Year_Recall_Report_(2024)  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: According to BP's annual trifecta vulnerability ratings, eleven state government trifectas are vulnerable in the 2024 elections. Democrats are defending seven vulnerable trifectas and Republicans are defending four. For the Democrats, Oregon’s trifecta status is highly vulnerable, while the Republican trifectas of Texas and New Hampshire are also highly vulnerable.  A state government trifecta occurs when one party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Currently, there are 40 of them: 23 Republican and 17 Democratic, with the remaining 10 states having divided governments, where maybe they have a Republican Governor, a Democratic Senate, and a Republican House.  Read the full report here: https://ballotpedia.org/Trifecta_vulnerability_in_the_2024_elections  Take a deeper dive into trifectas: https://ballotpedia.org/State_government_trifectas  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: The assassination attempt on Donald Trump and President Joe Biden dropping out of the race for the White House–two history-shattering events in the span of eight days–have firmly pushed the minor party presidential candidates out of the conversation for the time being.  What impact might they have as we move closer to election day, and what sort of laws and tactics factor into how competitive they can actually be as candidates?  Barry Burden, a professor of American politics at the University of Wisconsin–joins the show to unpack the current field of noteworthy minor party candidates, the various challenges to getting their names on the ballot, how major parties co-opt their platforms and policies, and how we ended up with a political system dominated by two parties.   Read Burden’s recent work on the role third parties will play this November: https://theconversation.com/third-parties-will-affect-the-2024-campaigns-but-election-laws-written-by-democrats-and-republicans-will-prevent-them-from-winning-226877 Follow Burden on X: https://X.com/bcburden  On the race for the White House: https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election,_2024  Learn more about the major third party and independent candidates below: –https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr. –https://ballotpedia.org/Jill_Stein  –https://ballotpedia.org/Chase_Oliver  –https://ballotpedia.org/Cornel_West  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

On this episode: President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election this afternoon, July 21st. A president-elect has never withdrawn, died, or become incapacitated between the general election and the presidential inauguration in American history. So what happens now?  BP staff writer Ellen Morrissey joins the show to break down Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, how the Democratic National Convention might handle selecting a new nominee, early favorites, and what happens to all of the campaign funding Biden’s raised thus far.  Learn more: https://ballotpedia.org/Withdrawal_of_Joe_Biden_from_the_2024_presidential_election  Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates  Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia. *On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.