Nikoel Hytrek

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a controversial potential judicial nominee for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Protesters could be heard outside the proceedings. Inside, Republicans and Democrats both questioned Steven Menashi over columns he wrote in the past and criticized him for refusing to answer some of them. While…

When Democrats took back the House of Representatives last year, they wasted no time putting together a bill to address political corruption in the United States. On Jan. 3, 2019, the House introduced H.R. 1, the “For the People Act.” The bill passed the House in March, but has since languished in the Senate. A…

While they may disagree about how to expand health care and handle student loan debt, Democratic candidates for president are on the same page when it comes campaign finance reform. Beto O’Rourke: “A campaign by all of us for all of us that answers not to the PACs, corporations and special interests, but to the…

Bullying doesn’t look like kids being shoved into lockers or calling each other names anymore, and intervention isn’t about just about standing up to bullies in the hallway. Iowa Safe Schools knows that. Organizers there also know that children who identify as LGBTQ, or are perceived that way, report instances of bullying almost double that…

With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent hospitalizations and Justice Antonin Scalia’s sudden death in 2016, public attention has been understandably glued to the health of the Supreme Court justices. And with the ideological balance of the Court ever at risk, the stakes of an illness can unnerve any partisan. A number of suggested reforms to…

When the Senate is back in session next week, they’ll resume debate and confirm more federal judges put forth by the Trump Administration. Before the August recess, senators pushed 12 judges through the nomination process and onto seats in federal district courts across the country. Now, 22 more district court judges have been nominated. District…

In a primary contest focused on broad issues like health care, women’s rights and economic reform, it’s no wonder corruption has gotten a spotlight, too. Over Labor Day weekend in Iowa, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock made his case that dark money is the root of the nation’s social and economic woes. It’s the central theme…

Iowa State University students won an important victory this month in their effort to fully exercise their right to vote on campus. It came in response to Republican-passed voter ID laws that made it more challenging for many Iowans — especially college students — to vote. In mid-August, the Iowa State University College Democrats announced…

As Democratic candidates campaign across Iowa, make sure to ask them about their plans to win the judiciary back from conservative court-packing, one national advocacy group is urging Iowa caucus-goers. Demand Justice, a progressive advocacy organization seeking to restore balance to the ideological leanings of the federal courts, organized a meeting with connected Iowans and…