State Courts on the Power Map
95% of all court decisions in the US are made at the state level.
This applies to battles around redistricting, voting, gender justice, abortion care, criminal justice, funding for education, climate justice and more — issues we work on 24/7 that impact our people first and foremost.
One decision made by a state bench can advance or unravel decades of organizing in a heartbeat.
Context and Background
This has always been the case but most of us just didn’t know it. With the Right’s successful take-over of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), the stakes are even higher. We can no longer rely on our highest court to protect our rights if and when cases are decided the wrong way at the state level. In the vast majority of cases, state courts are our last resort for justice.
Given both the urgency and the opportunities we have to grow and strengthen our power in this arena, re:power’s State Courts on the Power Map programming aims to meet this moment by investing in the people and organizations that are most impacted, delivering the knowledge and skills we need to navigate and organize in the judicial arena, while working with partners on the ground to build and sustain our capacity in this realm.
The project addresses the critical need to understand and navigate courts at the state level as key decision-makers in our collective fight to win racial, gender and reproductive justice as we work to achieve our long-term vision of building a multi- racial democracy free from white supremacy, patriarchy and other systems of oppression.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about state courts as a means of countering the conditions that are allowing fascism to rise and take hold in our communities. I have used power mapping as an organizing tool before, but this [training] helped me to think of power mapping as a way to encourage new alliances and strategies to be deployed in democratic spaces.”
State Courts on the Power Map centers the communities who are the most impacted: Black, Indigenous and People of Color, especially women, trans and queer folks. This includes organizers, community members, coalition leaders, electoral activists, students, faith leaders and more. We collaborate with partner organizations on the ground in key states to co-create and deliver stakeholder briefings, community education training, and skills building to leaders and organizers who are working on issues that are impacted by state court decisions. This includes groups working to advance criminal justice, reproductive and gender justice, voting rights and a range of other issues. We tailor the trainings to the unique needs and ecosystem in each state, focusing on three areas:
Level Setting
- Who’s on your state bench & the decisions judges are making
- How judges are selected, evaluated, and held accountable
- How your system works
- Key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
- Your vision of success for the courts in your state
- Key decision makers, allies, and opponents
- Best strategies and tactics to strengthen and defend state courts
Strategies, Tactics & Tools
- Campaign planning
- Building strong alliances
- Educating and engaging your networks
- Participating in policy development and legislative campaigns
- Supporting ethics reform
- Fielding and supporting community members to serve on judicial selection and evaluation commissions
- Engaging voters in judicial election campaigns
Building Capacity
- Developing longer term plans to strengthen and defend the courts
- Training trainers
- Sharing and creating resources to sustain the work
- Connecting with state and national leaders working on similar strategies
State Courts on the Power Map Learning Lab Cohort
re:power Fund launched our 11-week training series with 13 participants in April 2024. This cohort is focused on developing research strategies and tools to better understand and navigate state courts using our partners’ home states as a learning container. The course includes bi-weekly 2-hour training sessions, weekly assignments, and 1:1 coaching. Plus, our fellows receive compensation for their participation. Our 2024 cohort includes people from CA, AZ, WI, AL, GA, MS, and NM.
“Being in formation with the cohort over these past 10 weeks has deepened my understanding of [how] we can cultivate intergenerational spaces to shape the way we understand state courts and organize around the issues that impact our communities. I also left with plenty of curiosity and a framework to continue my research into the courts, in addition to a connection to others with whom I can continue to learn and grow.”
Partners
Want to learn more? Questions?
Send us an email at partnerships@repower.org.
