Takeaways from AP's report on sexual misconduct in US statehouses

The #MeToo movement hit critical mass in 2017, toppling politicians and public figures across the country. Allegations of harassment and misconduct — some from many years prior — emerged. Many state legislatures responded by adopting or enhancing policies against sexual misconduct.

In the years since, women's representation in U.S. statehouses has reached an all-time high.

As more women fill seats and hold leadership positions, lawmakers and others are divided about whether anything has changed. But allegations continue to surface — at the state level and beyond.

The Associated Press tallied allegations against state lawmakers across the country, examined the sexual harassment policies of legislative chambers in all 50 states, and talked to lawmakers, lobbyists and staff.

Here are key takeaways from the investigation:

Since 2017, The Associated Press has cataloged at least 147 state lawmakers across 44 states who have been accused of sexual harassment or misconduct. Most allegations were reported during the first two years of #MeToo, but more have surfaced every year since.

The total includes allegations of incidents both in state government and outside of it.

In 2024 alone, the AP tallied at least 14 state lawmakers from 12 states who were accused — about twice as many as the previous year.

In total, over a third of accused lawmakers resigned or were expelled from office. Roughly another third faced repercussions like losing party or committee positions. A dozen top state executive officials, including governors and attorneys general, faced similar allegations during that time and most resigned.

According to the National Women’s Defense League, which advocates for sexual harassment policies in statehouses and keeps its own count, Republicans and Democrats are nearly equally accused and 94% of those overall are men.

An AP survey, conducted from last November through January, found nearly half of all legislative chambers had updated their sexual harassment policies over the past five years. However, many policies are difficult for the general public to locate.

Near the beginning of #MeToo, an AP survey found about a third of legislative chambers didn’t require lawmakers to take sexual harassment training.

Almost all state legislatures now offer it, though it’s not always mandatory and content, format and frequency vary. Only about one-third of legislative chambers conduct training annually, according to AP’s survey.

The Arkansas Senate is the only legislative chamber without a specific sexual harassment policy. Officials in the Oklahoma Senate, the Mississippi Senate and both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature did not provide their sexual harassment policies to the AP.

Lawmakers and others are divided about whether anything has changed.

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who filed a sexual harassment complaint against a fellow lawmaker in 2020, said any improvements have less to do with “policy changes or work groups,” and more to do with “just the fact that we have significantly more women in charge.”

Others still see sexism.

“Sometimes it feels like we should just smile more and not be disruptive and not challenge anyone. That hasn’t gone away,” said Georgia state Rep. Shea Roberts, who resigned as Democratic Caucus treasurer to protest a fellow lawmaker who was accused last year of sexually harassing a staffer.

Advocates and lawmakers say the statehouse environment can still be hostile enough to keep many women from running for office.

“When men run for office, it’s about whether they can do the job,” said Erin Maye Quade, a Minnesota senator. “When women run for office, it’s about a lot more than that.”

Men still make up two-thirds of all state lawmakers in the U.S., and some say #MeToo gave them space to join the discussion and to acknowledge more work is needed.

Republican state Rep. Mark Schreiber of Kansas said attitudes have evolved over the years — from a “boys will be boys” ethos to acknowledging the harassment, while still blaming women. In more recent years, he said, men realized, “We’re blaming the wrong people.”

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE - State Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, speaks in opposition to SB 222 during the debate in the Senate Chambers on day 40 of the legislative session at the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

FILE - Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow speaks at the Democratic National Convention, August 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE - Maryland Del. Ariana Kelly, a Democrat, urges lawmakers to support a measure to expand abortion access in Maryland, shortly before the House of Delegates voted to override Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's veto of the bill on April 9, 2022, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

FILE - Minnesota Democratic State Senator Erin Maye Quade, center, speaks during a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)

Oregon state Sen. Sara Gelser poses for a photo on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Virginia Democratic Del. Jackie Glass poses for a portrait, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Virginia Democratic Del. Jackie Glass speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A person walks by a sign for a meeting in progress at the Oregon state Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

FILE - From left, Democratic state Sens. Kathleen Taylor, Sara Gelser Blouin, Elizabeth Steiner and Deb Patterson attend a press conference on the first day of the legislative session at the Oregon state Capitol, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration regulation on the nearly impossible-to-trace weapons called ghost guns, clearing the way for continued serial numbers, background checks and age verification requirements for buying the kits online.

The 7-2 opinion found that existing gun laws allow regulation of the kits increasingly linked to crime. It comes after President Donald Trump ordered a review of federal gun policy that could undermine or reverse regulations championed by his predecessor.

Sales of the homemade firearms grew exponentially as kits allowing for easy at-home building came into the market, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “Some home hobbyists enjoy assembling them. But criminals also find them attractive,” he said.

The number of ghost guns found at crime scenes around the country has also soared, according to federal data. Fewer than 1,700 were recovered by law enforcement in 2017, but that number grew to 27,000 in 2023, according to Justice Department data.

Since the federal rule was finalized, though, ghost gun numbers have flattened out or declined in several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Baltimore, according to court documents. Manufacturing of miscellaneous gun parts also dropped 36% overall, the Justice Department has said.

Ghost guns are any privately made firearms without the serial numbers that allow police to trace weapons used in crime. The 2022 regulation was focused on kits sold online with everything needed to build a functioning firearm — sometimes in less than 30 minutes, according to court documents.

Ghost guns have been used in high-profile crimes, including a mass shooting carried out with an AR-15-style ghost gun in Philadelphia that left five people dead. Police believe a ghost gun used in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan was made on a 3D printer rather than assembled from a kit of the kind at the center of the Supreme Court case.

Finalized at the direction of then-President Joe Biden, the “frame and receiver” rule requires companies to treat the kits like other firearms by adding serial numbers, running background checks and verifying that buyers are 21 or older.

Gun groups challenged the rule in court in the case known as Garland v. VanDerStok. Most crimes are committed with traditional firearms, not ghost guns, they argued. It's legal for people to build their own firearms at home, the challengers said, arguing that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped its authority by trying to regulate the kits.

The Supreme Court majority disagreed, pointing out that the law gives the ATF the power to regulate items that can be quickly made into working firearms.

“The ‘Buy Build Shoot’ kit can be 'readily converted' into a firearm too, for it requires no more time, effort, expertise, or specialized tools to complete,” Gorsuch wrote, referring to a specific product.

Some kits may take more time to build into guns and therefore fall outside the ATF’s power, he wrote, but many popular kits are subject to regulation.

In response to the ruling, a Justice Department spokesperson said the administration would “continue to support and defend the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.”

Gun safety groups celebrated the ruling, with Everytown Law executive director Eric Tirschwell saying the rule also had broad support from law enforcement. “Fundamentally, today's decision confirms the ghost gun industry is dead as a viable business model," he said.

A Michigan woman whose son lost an eye when he was accidently shot by a friend who bought a ghost gun before he was old enough to legally buy a typical weapon also applauded. “We are deeply relieved by today’s ruling, which will help ensure that a tragedy like ours never happens again,” she said.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said the ATF policy is a major factor in two years of record-low numbers of shootings in his state. “These are common-sense regulations on ghost guns that all too often end up in the hands of felons,” he said.

The court previously expanded Second Amendment rights with a finding that modern gun regulations must fit within historical traditions. The justices also struck down a firearm regulation from President Donald Trump’s first administration, a ban on gun accessories known as bump stocks that enable rapid fire.

In a dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the ghost gun rule should meet the same fate. The kits, he wrote, are only firearm parts and shouldn't be subject to a regulation that could open the door to rules on other popular weapons. “Congress could have authorized ATF to regulate any part of a firearm or any object readily convertible into one," he wrote. “But, it did not.”

Justice Samuel Alito also filed his own dissent.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington and Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

FILE - The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - The Supreme Court at sunset in Washington, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)

FILE - A ghost gun that police seized from an organized shoplifting crime ring is on display during a news conference at the Queens District Attorney's office in New York City, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)