I’ve just approved the final corrections to my Yale University Press book, Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections due out Jan. 12. (You can preorder at a 28% discount at Amazon.)

I’ll be doing a book tour in January and February which should take me to LA, NY, DC, Irvine, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami (with perhaps more to be added). I’ll announce details in December. But I’ll be previewing the talk in the fall, with a Constitution Day lecture September 16 at Chico State and a Democracy Studies lecture October 8 at Ohio State.

Looking forward to talking about the book. Here is the book description:

Campaign financing is one of today’s most divisive political issues. The left asserts that the electoral process is rife with corruption. The right protests that the real aim of campaign limits is to suppress political activity and protect incumbents. Meanwhile, money flows freely on both sides. In Plutocrats United, Richard Hasen argues that both left and right avoid the key issue of the new Citizens United era: balancing political inequality with free speech.

The Supreme Court has long held that corruption and its appearance are the only reasons to constitutionally restrict campaign funds. Progressives often agree but have a much broader view of corruption. Hasen argues for a new focus and way forward: if the government is to ensure robust political debate, the Supreme Court should allow limits on money in politics to prevent those with great economic power from distorting the political process.