“Emails Reveal ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Herschel Walker Money Scandal”

May 3, 2023, 11:54 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

New from the Daily Beast: Emails show Herschel Walker solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own business from a billionaire donor, with the donor believing he was giving to Walker’s campaign. and In the best possible circumstances,… Continue reading

“Shemia Fagan resigns as Oregon secretary of state following cannabis consulting scandal”

May 3, 2023, 4:08 pmelection law bizJustin Levitt

Oregon Public Broadcasting has a deeper dive.

Disney v. DeSantis

May 3, 2023, 4:07 pmFirst Amendment theoryJustin Levitt

On April 26, Disney sued DeSantis in federal court. And on May 1, DeSantis (well, the five DeSantis appointees to the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) sued Disney in state court. The federal case is essentially about a… Continue reading

“Microsoft economist warns of A.I. election interference from ‘bad actors’”

May 3, 2023, 4:05 pmcheap speech, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

I’m also on an upcoming panel (at Caltech, this Friday!) about the “Societal Implications of Generative AI” … but when the chief economist of a company with a $1 billion investment in the technology raises a flag at… Continue reading

“Trump Vows to Empower Political Pastors on Christian Nationalist Broadcast”

May 3, 2023, 4:04 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawJustin Levitt

Rolling Stone cites the former President’s plans on the Johnson Amendment: “We never enforced it. We essentially ended it. I wasn’t able to finish it. But I’ll finish it this time.” The Johnson Amendment prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits, contributions to which… Continue reading

“The Jolt: Georgia megadonor tells Trump attorney election was clean”

May 3, 2023, 4:03 pmcheap speech, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

Lauren Windsor with another audio reveal from the Cleta Mitchell conversation to RNC donors. More here at the AJC. From a donor apparently identified as Tommy Bagwell, to the assembled crowd: I’m one of the largest donors to Trump… Continue reading

The other other Dominion case

May 3, 2023, 4:02 pmelection administration, voting technologyJustin Levitt

The AP reminds us that this case about a touchscreen ballot-marking system, first filed August 8, 2017 (challenging what were then paperless DREs), went to a summary judgment hearing on Tuesday.

“Court ruling risks letting election fraud off the hook. Lawmakers must fix it.”

May 3, 2023, 4:01 pmfraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

Texas AG Ken Paxton lobbies for more legislation on election crime, after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on separation of powers grounds struck down a law purporting to give the AG power to prosecute. The underlying dispute was about… Continue reading

“Mathematical Flaws in Ranked Choice Voting Are Rare but Real”

May 3, 2023, 4:00 pmalternative voting systemsJustin Levitt

That’s the title of this new piece, accompanying this new paper (with a title that I prefer, not that anyone’s asking: “An Examination of Ranked Choice Voting in the United States, 2004-2022”). The authors identify the “primary value of… Continue reading

“Beer can launched to remind people of huge change in election voting rules”

May 3, 2023, 4:00 pmelection administrationJustin Levitt

Leave aside the controversy over the underlying rules for a moment: this is a marketing innovation I’d love to import from across the pond.

“Party affiliation can be misleading in local Pa. elections. Here’s why”

May 3, 2023, 3:59 pmpolitical parties, primaries, third partiesJustin Levitt

Spotlight PA has a feature on Pennsylvania school board elections with closed primaries (you’ve got to be a member of the party to vote in that party’s primary) and cross-filing (in which candidates can appear on multiple parties’ ballots). I’m… Continue reading

“As First Republic Bank faltered, five members of Congress dumped their personal stock investments”

May 3, 2023, 3:58 pmethics investigationsJustin Levitt

That’s the lede from Raw Story. The piece goes on to state that “there’s no evidence that the lawmakers used information they obtained through their public service to inform their First Republic stock trades,” and four of the five (the… Continue reading

“The Impermissibility of Sex as a Voter Qualification”

May 3, 2023, 3:57 pmelection administration, election law and constitutional lawJustin Levitt

Looks like a fascinating paper posted on SSRN today by UVa 3L Holl Chaisson: Election officials across the country are turning away voters when they perceive a mismatch between the sex listed on the voter’s identification and the voter’s gender… Continue reading

Justice O’Connor created the framework and the heart of the language for Chief Justice Rehnquist’s concurring opinion in Bush v. Gore

May 3, 2023, 10:09 amBush v. Gore reflections, electoral collegeDerek Muller

Many of the papers of the late Justice John Paul Stevens have been released, including papers from Bush v. Gore. Over at CNN, Joan Biskupic has a four-page memorandum that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor circulated to the justices before oral… Continue reading