Chip Brownlee, a Trace reporter who covers federal policy and co-writes the Trajectory column, has been named a finalist for this year’s prestigious Livingston Awards. 

Known as the “Pulitzer Prize for the young,” the awards recognize outstanding reporting and storytelling by journalists under 35. Brownlee is a finalist in the category of excellence in national reporting for his ongoing series “The Bruen Era,” which uses original data to spotlight how a Supreme Court decision has reshaped the landscape of gun regulation in the United States.  

Last year, Brownlee built a data tracker to analyze shifts in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, compiling and examining all the cases that have cited it since. His analysis has revealed critical facts, including the disproportionate number of cases challenging the ban on firearm possession by people with felony convictions and the tendency for judges to show partisan biases in gun rights cases. 

The series marks the most comprehensive examination of post-Bruen Second Amendment cases to date, offering readers a sweeping view of how the decision continues to reverberate across the country —  with significant public safety implications. By revealing concrete new trends, the series has also shed light on the complex and often opaque American court system.  

“The goal of my series was to shine a light on all the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision in the real world,” Brownlee said. “By diving through thousands of court cases, compiling them into a database, and explaining them through stories, we’ve been able to share with our readers just how significant Bruen was.” 

Brownlee has continued updating his data as judges issue divergent rulings on the constitutionality of age limits, assault weapons, and other gun issues. He plans on publishing the series’s next installment within a few weeks. Meanwhile, law schools and researchers are using his data to dive even deeper into Bruen’s aftermath.

Below are the stories that earned Brownlee the Livingston Awards nod. To read the full series, click here.

Team Trace