DemocracyWe work to ensure that all Americans have an equal voice in our elections and that our government advances the public interest and upholds the rule of law. We lead national efforts to ensure that citizens — not special interests or partisan operatives — are at the center of our politics. The center’s Democracy Program work brings national perspective and expertise in the fight to protect and promote voting rights, campaign finance reform, redistricting integrity, fair courts, and a First Amendment jurisprudence that puts the rights of citizens — not special interests — at the center of our democracy.Collaborating with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations, and reform-minded government officials, we contribute cutting-edge legal strategy, innovative policy development, empirical research for legal and policy efforts, and high-impact communications to advance our goals.Our Democracy teamsJusticeWe work to end mass incarceration and other criminal justice policies that target communities of color, and to create a rational and effective justice system.The Justice Program advances data-driven, innovative, practical legal reforms; seeks new empirical analyses; crafts innovative policy solutions; and advances legislation and litigation in its efforts to end mass incarceration. Our view: We can end mass incarceration when the broad public understands that mass incarceration exists. That it has crushing consequences: social, racial, economic. That we can end it without jeopardizing public safety. And that there are reforms that will work. We focus, especially, on exposing the way perverse incentives distort our justice system. And we enlist the unique voice of law enforcement as an ally for change.Our Justice teamLiberty & National SecurityThe Brennan Center’s Liberty & National Security Program works to advance effective national security policies that respect the rule of law and constitutional values. Our priorities include ensuring that Congress and the courts serve their constitutional role as a check on executive power in the area of national security; reforming emergency powers to strengthen safeguards against abuse; ending racial, religious, and ethnic profiling in counterterrorism policies; bolstering First and Fourth Amendment protections in the digital age; promoting targeted and effective responses to far-right violence; proposing robust safeguards for the government’s use of artificial intelligence; and enhancing transparency, oversight, and accountability for intelligence and law enforcement agencies.Our Liberty & National Security teamFellowsThe Brennan Center’s Fellows Program brings together seasoned experts and thought leaders from the ranks of government, academia, journalism, law enforcement, and the legal profession. They contribute bold ideas to the Brennan Center through writing, public speaking, hosting academic symposia, and developing collaborative projects with staff. Our FellowsStrategic AdvocacyThe Brennan Center’s Washington, DC, office and Communications departments work to advance the organization’s work in the halls of power and the court of public opinion.Our Washington, DC, officeOur Communications team
