Demographics

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to review the Fourth Circuit’s recent decision temporarily preventing the President’s revised travel ban from going into effect. Numerous states supported both side as amici in the litigation. Numerous local goverments supported the challengers.

The President’s first executive order prevented people from seven predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The Ninth Circuit temporarily struck it down concluding it likely violated the due process rights of lawful permanent residents, non-immigrant visa holders, and refugees.

The President’s second executive order prevents people from six predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days but only applies to new visa applicants and allows for case-by-case waivers.  

South Dakota was the fastest-growing Midwestern state between 2015 and 2016, and the only one that topped the national growth rate of 0.7 percent. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data, released in December, also show that South Dakota (overall growth rate of 0.9 percent) was the only state in this region with a net gain due to domestic migration. 

There are now more Americans age 65 and older than ever before. About 1 in 7 people (15 percent) in the U.S. is now considered to be an “older American” or someone over the age of 65. Compare that to just 4.1 percent of the population in 1900 or 10 percent in 1970—and that figure will continue to increase in the decades to come. 

Ninety-six years ago this month, the 19th amendment was ratified, guaranteeing the right to vote to women. Women have continued to have a significant impact on political direction in the United States since that momentous day in August, as data has shown that the number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in presidential elections since 1964, and that women have had a higher voter turnout rate than men in every election since 1980.

With Hillary Clinton poised to make history as the first female presidential nominee from a major party, it is noteworthy that women are still underrepresented in state government leadership positions. In 2016, women make up less than one-quarter of state legislators and statewide elected executive officers, and less than one-third of all state court judges. The percentage of female state legislators has largely...