Some U.S. states have 'sanctuary' policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and permit undocumented immigrants to obtain state-issued driver's licenses, including in some cases commercial driver's licenses (CDLs).
November 19, 2025
medium-high
temporal
Describes a persistent policy difference across U.S. states regarding cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and issuance of driver credentials.
State-level regulation of artificial intelligence can result in a patchwork of different regulatory regimes across the 50 U.S. states, which proponents of federal standards argue can undermine national economic growth and consistency.
November 18, 2025
high
temporal
General policy trade-off between state-by-state regulation and a single federal regulatory standard for AI.
Some U.S. states have candidate filing deadlines for congressional elections that can make late redistricting impractical because the procedural steps to craft new maps cannot be completed within the shortened timeline.
November 14, 2025
high
temporal
Filing deadlines can create logistical constraints on the timing of redistricting efforts.
As of 2025, marijuana is legal for medical use in most U.S. states and legal for recreational use in approximately half of U.S. states.
November 14, 2025
high
statistical
Overview of state-level marijuana legalization in the United States.
SNAP benefits are administered by U.S. state governments.
November 07, 2025
high
administration
Operational responsibility for distributing benefits
As of 2025-11-04, more than 20 U.S. states had enacted red flag laws that allow courts to temporarily restrict individuals' access to firearms.
November 04, 2025
high
statistical
Count of U.S. states with red flag laws as reported in late 2025.
As of 2025, no U.S. federal agencies and only two U.S. states track the number of school crossing guards injured or killed each year.
October 31, 2025
high
temporal
Assessment of official data collection practices for crossing guard injuries and fatalities.
As of 2025-10-31, New York is one of at least eight U.S. states that have enacted shield laws to protect providers from other states' legal reach.
October 31, 2025
high
legal
Multiple U.S. states have passed statutes commonly called 'shield laws' offering cross-jurisdictional protections for certain health-related activities.
As of 2025-10-31, opponents of shield laws argue that such laws may conflict with the constitutional requirement that states respect the laws and legal judgments of other states.
October 31, 2025
high
legal
The argument invokes doctrines requiring interstate comity and recognition of other states' judgments.
Individuals arrested in one U.S. state may be held pending extradition to another U.S. state where there is an outstanding warrant or criminal charges.
October 29, 2025
high
legal
Interstate extradition is a standard legal process for transferring custody of suspects between states.
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires approval by a two-thirds vote of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and ratification by three-fourths of the U.S. states.
October 28, 2025
high
temporal
Outlines the formal congressional and state ratification requirements for constitutional amendments.
U.S. states typically redraw congressional district boundaries every 10 years following the decennial census.
October 27, 2025
high
temporal
Redistricting is normally aligned with the 10-year census cycle to reflect population changes.
As of 2025-10-25, more than 45 U.S. states had passed or proposed laws to criminalize the creation or distribution of deepfake sexual content made without consent.
October 25, 2025
high
temporal
This summarizes the legislative response across U.S. states to nonconsensual deepfake sexual content.
As of 2025, 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia issue driver's licenses regardless of an applicant's immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
October 25, 2025
high
statistical
State-level policies on issuing driver's licenses without regard to immigration status.
As of 2025-10-20, about half of U.S. states have legalized recreational marijuana.
October 20, 2025
high
temporal
Snapshot of state-level legalization status for recreational marijuana.
U.S. states typically conduct redistricting at the start of each decade following the release of new U.S. Census results.
October 09, 2025
high
temporal
Standard timing and trigger for state redistricting cycles in the United States.
Federal deployments of National Guard troops to U.S. cities can give rise to legal and constitutional disputes concerning state sovereignty, local consent, and the scope of federal authority.
October 08, 2025
high
legal
Questions about National Guard deployments commonly focus on whether federal action overrides state or local control and what constitutional or statutory powers authorize such deployments.
As of 2025-10-07, approximately half of U.S. states have enacted bans on conversion therapy for individuals under age 18.
October 07, 2025
high
temporal
Prevalence of state-level legal restrictions on conversion therapy for minors in the United States.
Major medical associations have repudiated conversion therapy, concluding it is ineffective and associated with increased depression and suicidal thoughts among minors, and about half of U.S. states have laws banning conversion therapy for people under 18.
October 07, 2025
high
policy
Medical consensus and state-level policy trends regarding therapeutic practices aimed at changing sexual orientation.
As of 2025-10-07, more than 20 U.S. states had laws restricting licensed mental health providers from providing conversion therapy to minors.
October 07, 2025
high
statistical
Current (as of the referenced date) count of U.S. states with legal restrictions on licensed providers offering conversion therapy to children.
As of 2025, nearly half of U.S. states had enacted bans on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity (commonly called conversion therapy).
October 06, 2025
high
statistical
Describes the nationwide legislative status of conversion-therapy bans.
As of 2025-10-06, nearly half of U.S. states had enacted bans on therapies aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Describes the prevalence of state-level bans on so-called conversion therapy as of early October 2025.
Most U.S. states have some form of civil commitment law.
October 05, 2025
high
temporal
Civil commitment laws provide legal authority for involuntary treatment under specified conditions.
U.S. states and municipalities can seek injunctive relief in federal court, such as temporary restraining orders, to challenge federal government actions including deployments of National Guard or military forces.
October 05, 2025
high
legal
Describes a common legal mechanism for states and cities to challenge federal actions in federal jurisdiction.
Requirements and documentation needed to obtain a REAL ID vary by U.S. state, and individuals should consult their state's driver's license bureau for specific instructions.
May 01, 2025
high
guidance
Advises that REAL ID issuance criteria are determined at the state level.
U.S. states have a wide range of different legal requirements governing pretrial release, producing an uneven patchwork of pretrial-release rules across the country.
November 15, 2024
high
legal
Describes variation in state-level pretrial-release statutes and practices.
In 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) had an approximate budget of $7.5 billion, with most of that funding distributed to U.S. states for programs addressing mental health and addiction.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Scale and primary use of SAMHSA's federal budget in a recent year.
U.S. states are legally required to maintain and regularly clean voter registration lists (voter rolls).
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Voter roll maintenance is a statutory responsibility in U.S. jurisdictions to ensure accuracy of registration lists.
More than two dozen U.S. states have statutes described as 'trigger' laws that would restrict recognition of same-sex marriage if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).
June 26, 2023
medium
statistical
State-level statutes that could be activated or gain effect if a controlling federal precedent were overturned.
Since 2021, ten U.S. states have enacted laws intended to make it easier to sue gun manufacturers and sellers, including measures that allow lawsuits based on claims that firearms companies created a "public nuisance" through their sales or marketing practices.
January 01, 2021
high
temporal
State-level legislative trend creating new legal pathways to sue firearms companies despite federal immunity.
Since 2020, more than a dozen U.S. states have allowed mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to be counted even if they are received after Election Day.
January 01, 2020
high
statistical
Many states adopted or retained short post-Election Day receipt windows for timely-postmarked mail ballots during emergency election policy changes around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mail-in ballots are accepted in some form in every U.S. state.
January 01, 2020
high
general
Overview of ballot delivery and acceptance methods across state election systems.
If a U.S. Supreme Court constitutional ruling recognizing a right to same-sex marriage were overturned, individual states could choose not to recognize same-sex marriages unless federal law provided recognition.
June 26, 2015
high
constitutional_implication
Describes the interaction between Supreme Court constitutional authority and state authority over marriage recognition.
A 1998 master settlement between dozens of U.S. states and major tobacco companies resulted in roughly $200 billion in payments and included a ban on billboard advertising by the tobacco industry.
January 01, 1998
high
temporal
The Master Settlement Agreement resolved state lawsuits alleging tobacco companies misled the public about nicotine addiction and public health risks.
Forty-six U.S. states had laws mandating cellphone bans in public schools, and four additional U.S. states were considering legislation to mandate cellphone bans in public schools.
high
temporal
Reported counts of U.S. states with enacted or proposed legislation restricting student cellphone use in public Kâ12 schools.
U.S. states use varying per se THC blood-concentration limits for driving enforcement; some states set limits around 2 ng/mL, other states set limits around 5 ng/mL, and some states maintain zero-tolerance laws where any detectable THC can be grounds for a DUI or may require proof of impairment.
high
legal
Overview of state-level regulatory approaches to THC and driving.
About two dozen U.S. states have enacted laws banning conversion therapy for minors.
high
statistical
Prevalence of state-level bans on conversion therapy for minors in the United States.
Lethal injection is a method of execution used by multiple U.S. states, including Missouri and Florida.
high
method
Lethal injection is a commonly used execution method in U.S. state correctional systems.
Some U.S. states permit counting mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after Election Day, and such policies have been subject to legal disputes.
high
procedural
State election administration and ballot-receipt deadlines.
Some U.S. states operate state-funded healthcare programs that provide health benefits to undocumented immigrants, separate from federal Medicaid eligibility.
high
policy
States may create their own programs or policies to extend health coverage to people who are ineligible for federal Medicaid due to immigration status.
Some U.S. states use legal mechanisms or program designs to provide Medicaid-funded healthcare benefits to non-citizens who are not lawfully present despite federal restrictions on Medicaid enrollment for undocumented immigrants.
high
policy
State-level variations in implementation of Medicaid-funded benefits for non-citizens.
Very few U.S. states require private insurance plans to cover IVF treatment, so most patients pay for IVF rounds out of pocket.
high
policy
Insurance coverage landscape affecting how patients finance IVF treatment in the United States.
Any U.S. state can apply to be chosen by the Democratic National Committee for an early-window presidential primary or caucus.
high
procedural
Eligibility principle for consideration in the party's early-primary selection process.
Despite legalization of marijuana in many U.S. states, marijuana remains illegal under U.S. federal law.
high
legal
Distinguishes state-level legalization from federal criminal status.
Some U.S. states have enacted laws that restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports.
high
descriptive
State-level legislation in multiple U.S. jurisdictions has targeted participation of transgender athletes in female sports categories.
The U.S. Constitution allocates authority over election regulations to the U.S. Congress and to the states.
high
legal
Allocation of regulatory authority for elections under the U.S. constitutional framework.
U.S. states issue commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) that authorize individuals to operate large commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailers.
high
regulatory
CDLs are state-issued credentials required to legally operate many types of heavy or commercial motor vehicles.
Roughly half of U.S. states have a maximum weekly unemployment-benefit amount under $600, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.
high
statistical
Comparative statistic on state maximum weekly unemployment benefit levels.
Some U.S. states use independent citizen commissions to draw congressional district maps, while other U.S. states assign map-drawing authority to their state legislatures.
high
structural
Describes the two common institutional approaches to drawing U.S. congressional district boundaries.
Some U.S. states assign authority to draw congressional district boundaries to nonpartisan or independent redistricting commissions, while other states give that authority to the state legislature.
high
process
Describes common institutional mechanisms for allocating redistricting authority.
Sixteen U.S. states accept and will count a mail-in ballot that arrives after Election Day if the ballot is postmarked on or before Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
high
statistical
Scope of state policies that allow counting of late-arriving mail-in ballots when timely postmarked.
Some U.S. states require that congressional redistricting plans be approved directly by voters through ballot measures or referendums.
high
legal
Describes state-level mechanisms that can mandate voter approval for redistricting plans.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues guidance and directives regarding SNAP benefit issuance, while individual U.S. states administer and implement the distribution of SNAP benefits to residents.
high
administrative
USDA oversees federal SNAP policy and can direct states on implementation; states operate the program at the level of benefit issuance to participants.
U.S. states have been developing their own, individual AI regulatory rules, which creates a patchwork of state-level AI regulations across the country.
high
descriptive
Describes the decentralized emergence of state-level AI regulation in the United States.
Mid-decade redistricting, defined as redrawing congressional maps outside the regular decennial cycle, is a relatively rare practice in the United States.
high
temporal
Describes the uncommon practice of states undertaking redistricting between the decennial censuses.
Some U.S. states have enacted laws or education policies that allow undocumented immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition benefits at public colleges and universities.
high
policy
State-level higher education residency and tuition policies can permit in-state tuition for undocumented residents.
The U.S. Department of Justice has pursued litigation in multiple cases challenging state laws that provide in-state tuition benefits to undocumented immigrants on the ground that those state laws conflict with federal law.
high
legal_trend
Federal enforcement actions have been used to dispute the compatibility of state tuition policies for undocumented immigrants with federal law.
U.S. states can enter formal law-enforcement partnership agreements with federal immigration agencies such as ICE to coordinate enforcement activities.
high
temporal
States may formally partner with federal immigration authorities to support or coordinate enforcement operations.
Some U.S. states permit individuals without lawful immigration status to obtain standard driver's licenses and commercial driver's licenses (CDLs).
high
policy
State-level licensing policies allow undocumented immigrants to receive driving credentials, including CDLs, in certain jurisdictions.