Politics

Nebraska Supreme Court green-lights competing pro-abortion ballot measures

Published

2 years ago

November 12, 2024

Nebraska Supreme Court green-lights competing pro-abortion ballot measures

Nebraska’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that competing abortion rights measures can be on the ballot in November, allowing voters to choose between expanding the right to abortion or codifying a 12-week ban into the state constitution.

The former would enshrine “a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient” in Nebraska’s constitution. The other would ban abortions after the first trimester with exceptions for a medical emergency, rape or incest — essentially codifying the state’s current abortion ban into its constitution.

Anti-abortion supporters sued over the abortion rights initiative, arguing that it violated a state rule that requires a ballot proposal to address only one subject. The state’s high court ultimately ruled that measure does not violate the single-subject rule, thus allowing both measures to appear alongside each other on the ballot.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, voters have resoundingly sided with abortion rights in states when the issue has been on the ballot. This year, at least 10 states, including Nebraska, are slated to vote on abortion rights measures. In response, Republican officials in those states have resorted to a slew of tactics to undermine those initiatives ahead of the election.

Nebraska is the only state since the fall of Roe to put opposing abortion measures together on the ballot. It’s unclear which way voters are leaning: Organizers for both initiatives said last month that they had each submitted a roughly similar number of signatures to get ballot access. In the event that voters approve both measures, the one that gets the most votes in favor will be the one that’s enshrined in the state constitution, The Associated Press reported.

Clarissa-Jan Lim

Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for BLN Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.

Politics

Amish Shah wins Dem primary in battleground Arizona House race

Published

14 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Former state Rep. Amish Shah won the crowded Democratic primary for Arizona’s 1st District on Wednesday, defeating an establishment pick and other well-funded candidates for the battleground seat.

The district, which President Donald Trump carried by just three points in 2024, is one of Democrats’ top pickup opportunities this cycle — and the tight primary evolved into a test of party leaders, after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backed former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods.

In the end, voters rejected Galán-Woods, the latest example of an establishment-backed candidate losing as Democrats continue to show frustration with leaders in Washington.

This year marks the second consecutive time Shah won the district’s Democratic primary: He won it in 2024, before losing to Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) by four points in the general election.

The seat became open when Schweikert, an eight-term Republican lawmaker, decided to take on another member of the Arizona House delegation, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), in the GOP primary for governor.

Shah will take on Jay Feely in the general election. The Trump-endorsed former NFL kicker who spent four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals bested former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik in the Republican primary on Tuesday.

The 1st District surrounds Phoenix in central Arizona, and encompasses wealthy Scottsdale and Paradise Valley as well as large swaths of land to the northeast of the city.