| An update for League friends and subscribers. | | | | Members at Annual Meeting Approve Proposals; Elect Leadership | | Thirty-six people, including both members and nonmembers, attended the May 13 Annual Meeting. Members approved changes to the bylaws, one proposed position on housing and one revised position on schools, and elected members of the Leadership Team and Nominating Committee. Professor Steve Sanders was the guest speaker and member Ann Birch was acknowledged for her contributions to the League. Both of the latter items are covered below. Everyone enjoyed the snacks and the chance for members to catch up with each other and for nonmembers to learn more about the League. - Marion Krefeldt and Ralf Shaw | | Professor Sanders Discusses Constitutional Crisis | | Professor Steve Sanders of the Indiana University Mauer School of Law was the guest speaker for our League’s annual meeting on May 13, 2025. He teaches both constitutional litigation and constitutional law and has litigated in federal and state courts including the US Supreme Court. Sanders is a member of the American Constitution Society and has signed their public letter stating that the country is in a constitutional crisis. | | | Sanders pointed to several actions that reflect the current administration’s “focus on raw authoritarian power in pursuit of political goals.” Examples include firing government employees without review, dismissing oversight boards without cause, and reckless and erratic use of the tariff power.
This is not the first time a president has tested the limits of executive power. Sanders noted that the framers of the US Constitution had a pessimistic view of human nature and designed the separation of powers to check a “conniving, ill-intentioned president. However, in the current situation, Congress has yielded to the executive branch, and we cannot claim to have a functioning government." He concluded, “It can’t be said urgently enough what a crisis we are in.”
Professor Sanders discussed questions from the audience: |
- Peaceful protests might have an impact on Congress, not on the president.
- Did the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity lead to the many executive orders? Some of these are just messaging, others reflect the general sense that the court is sympathetic to the expansive role of the president.
- De-funding programs should be prevented under the Impoundment Control Act, but the president could argue that it is unconstitutional.
- Letters and messages to members of Congress generally fall on deaf ears; the more effective response is to unseat them in elections (although this can be difficult).
- The American Constitution Society’s letter was drafted by respected constitutional scholar Kent Greenfield and has been signed by more than 1,000 professors and teachers of law.
- The national crisis is giving our state legislators and governor permission to act the same way, for example in the budget bill and reducing voting rights.
- Claims of due process rights for noncitizens have kept the courts busy, but it is not clear how rulings would be enforced.
- A thorough legal and social analysis of “Threats to the American Democratic Republic” is being prepared by faculty associated with the IU School of Education. The analysis and opportunities to contribute are available online.
- Executive orders are exceeding presidential authority, but with the loss of separation of powers, we do not have a functioning Constitution to counteract this.
- Evidence of radical disregard to the Constitution and court rulings shows that some, led by the Heritage Foundation, have turned to authoritarianism in their efforts to amass power.
- Ralf Shaw | | Ann Birch Receives Special Recognition | | At the May 13, 2025, annual meeting, League members expressed their deep gratitude to Ann Birch. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2017, a year after joining LWV-BMC. Ann was the creator and inaugural chair of the Communications Committee and held that chair position through 2022. In 2018, she was nominated to be vice-president and immediately moved into the presidency when the president resigned. | | | During her tenure as president, she implemented the League web platform, ClubExpress, using her professional background as a technical communications wizard and a decades-long technical writer and editor. She has become a resource for the Leadership Team and other state and local Leagues about ClubExpress functions. Ann has also become a problem-solver for Leagues adopting the new LWVUS membership system, which was rolled out in February.
Ann has worked with Board/Leadership Team members to update our bylaws and other League documentation. She developed a timeline for actions by the Leadership Team and formulated helpful guides for officers to ease on-boarding new leadership team members.
So much more could be said about Ann’s contributions to the League, but it is abundantly clear that we have all benefitted from her unstinting and continuing work. Thank you, Ann, for your years of input, support, and conviviality! - Ralf Shaw
Photo: on the left is convener Marion Krefeldt; on the right is Ann Birch. | | Podcast: Investigative Journalism Critical for Accurate Reporting | In April, the Civic Conversations podcast welcomed Kathleen Johnston, the founding director of the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University, and an IU alumna. She is a 30-year veteran of investigative journalism and a Media School professor of practice. Johnston has worked at numerous national and local news organizations, including The Indianapolis News, CBS, the Birmingham Post-Herald, and CNN. She has won countless regional and national honors, including Emmy, Peabody, and Murrow awards. In 2017, she received The Media School's Distinguished Alumni Award.
| | | Johnston discussed the mission of the Arnolt Center and broke down the role of investigative journalists in today's media world. We talked about changes in today's media world and how disinformation and the loss of local news have impacted the ability to get fair and accurate information. "We need more journalists to counter these issues," said Johnston. “The press is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is more important now than ever." - Becky Hill and Jim Allison
| | Extremism: An Anti-System Party Divide | | Our May Civic Conversations podcast welcomed Indiana University Professor Jeffrey Isaac. Isaac is the James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science and served as editor-in-chief for Perspectives on Politics, a flagship journal of the American Political Science Association, from 2009 to 2017. In 2017, he was awarded the APSA's Frank J. Goodnow Award for Distinguished Public Service.
In the podcast, Isaac defines extremism and how it works within government. Extremism, Isaac says, is used to quiet political debates, and it is much more than a Democratic versus Republican divide; it is really an anti-system party divide that is hostile to liberal Democracy.
| | | According to Isaac, changing demographics and technological change have contributed to the increase in insecurity and suspicion of our government. - Becky Hill and Jim Allison
| | Read Abundance with the DEI Unit this Summer | | The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Unit will be on hiatus for July and August. During the break we will be reading Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. We invite League members and also nonmembers to read the book and consider joining the discussion when we return from our break on Thursday, September 11, from 11 am to 12 pm. Contact Elaine Gaul (dei@lwv-bmc.org) for the Zoom link if you’d like to take part in the discussion. - Elaine Gaul | | Once Again, No Vote Centers for Monroe County | Out of ninety-two counties in Indiana, twenty-seven still have precinct-based voting, where on election day each voter must go to the polling site designated for the precinct where the voter lives. The alternative in Indiana is vote centers, where voters can choose among several voting locations in their county. Ours was one of the first two counties to investigate vote centers; had our Election Board accepted the 2011 report, we (along with Fayette and Vanderburgh) would have been the first adopters.
According to the Indiana Secretary of State's office: “Vote centers offer flexibility and convenience to voters, by allowing them to cast a ballot at any county location of their choosing on Election Day.”
In May 2025, the Monroe County Election Board once again failed to adopt vote centers. The Vote Center Study Committee’s plan required unanimous approval by the Board, but one of its three members was opposed, stating “the committee never asked ... whether increasing voter turnout is the main goal, or responsibility, of the Election Board? For the record it is not.”
As the LWV-BMC representative on the study committee, my perspective was more in line with the Secretary of State’s focus on flexibility and voter convenience. I was disappointed that our county continues to languish among the few that have not chosen to encourage voter participation. - Ralf Shaw | Contacts, Events, and News Sources | | Many citizens feel they have no say in their government. We can't have a say if we don't say anything. Contact your elected officials when you have something to say. Go to https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials to find the people who represent you in federal, state, and local governments. Contact them not only to urge action but also to show appreciation. | |
Proofreader: Kristina Lindborg | |