Nancy Watzman

About Nancy Watzman

I am an experienced nonprofit leader, advisor, collaborator, and communicator, who delivers high impact projects for clients focused on enhancing democracy and equity, meeting challenges posed by technology, supporting media, and increasing effectiveness of philanthropy. Clients and past employers include: Brennan Center for Justice, First Draft News, Knight Foundation, Democracy Fund, Internet Archive, Dot Connector Studio, Wikimedia Foundation, Sunlight Foundation, Center for Public Integrity, and Center for Responsive Politics. I was founding director of the Colorado Media Project. I\'ve written for numerous publications, including The Washington Monthly, Harper\'s Magazine, and The Nation, and is co-author of Is That a Politician in Your Pocket? Washington on $2 Million a Day and a contributor to The Buying of the Congress, by the Center for Public Integrity. I\'ve presented at gatherings of NICAR, Investigative Reporters & Editors, Journalism and Women Symposium, the American Bar Association, and more.

Experience

1. Strategic Advisor

   Brennan Center for Justice

   Nov 2022 — Present · New York, NY, US

   State Court Report is an up-to-date resource for context and commentary about notable cases, legal trends, and cutting-edge scholarship.State constitutions are significant sources of a broad range of rights, and recent developments on the federal level have contributed to their prominence. The aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision provides one clear example — with no federally protected right to abortion, state constitutions have taken on new importance.In the modern era, state courts and state constitutions have often taken a back seat to their federal counterparts, but there is also a long history of state constitutions as sites of innovation and expansion. As documented by Jeffrey S. Sutton, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in the first 150 years of U.S. history, most constitutional rights litigation took place in the states. In the modern era, state constitutional developments have cut across issue areas and ideological lines — from curbing partisan gerrymandering to protecting property rights.What’s been missing is a place to analyze and contextualize these developments. Enter State Court Report. This hub covers legal trends in state constitutional law, along with cutting-edge scholarship, interpretative methods, and cases to watch. Over time, it will feature analysis and commentary from judges, academics, journalists, and practitioners who bring an array of experiences and viewpoints. Together, we hope to foster dialogue, commentary, and research about an important but chronically underappreciated area of law.

Education

• Swarthmore College

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)