All posts by Rick Hasen

“Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government”

February 3, 2025, 4:24 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: In Elon Musk’s first two weeks in government, his lieutenants gained access to closely held financial and data systems, casting aside career officials who warned that they were defying protocols. They moved swiftly to shutter specific programs — and… Continue reading

“REPORT: ERN’s Groundbreaking Report Identifies Partisan Abuses of Ballot Initiatives and Proposes Nonpartisan Solutions”

February 3, 2025, 4:22 pmdirect democracyRick Hasen

Release: A groundbreaking new report from the Election Reformers Network (ERN) shows how state legislatures and elected officials have manipulated the ballot initiative process to stymie the will of voters in many states across the country. The report, Partisan Control … Continue reading

February 13 Safeguarding Democracy Project Webinar: “Finding Common Ground on Modernizing Voter Registration”

February 3, 2025, 10:16 amelection administration, voter registrationRick Hasen

Very much looking forward to moderating this online event on February 13 at 12:15 pm PT. Free registration required. Christina Adkins, Director of Elections, Texas Secretary of State’s Office, Judd Choate, Director of Elections in Colorado, and Charles H. Stewart… Continue reading

Will Mitch McConnell Save America from the SAVE Act?

February 3, 2025, 7:49 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

Votebeat: Lane, one of four congressional staff members on the panel, said the SAVE Act will be a priority for the House this time. He acknowledged a push to consider what a voter identification requirement would look like and… Continue reading

“Arizona officials struggle to straighten out voter rolls after proof-of-citizenship mixup”

February 3, 2025, 7:47 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Votebeat: Because of a 20-year-old government foul-up, about 200,000 Arizona voters will need to come up with proof of their citizenship soon in order to protect their full voting rights, and they might not even know about it yet. County… Continue reading

“Key Trump Cabinet members refuse to acknowledge Trump lost in 2020”

February 3, 2025, 7:42 amelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Two of President Donald Trump’s top law enforcement nominees have been taking a new tack when talking about the 2020 presidential election: They’re not claiming Trump won that year, but they’re not saying he lost either. Joe Biden was… Continue reading

“Coups and Punishment in the Constitutional Order”

February 3, 2025, 7:30 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Anthony Kreis has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Wisconsin Law Review). Here is the abstract: This article examines the historical and constitutional foundations of an anti-coup principle in the United States, emphasizing how state-level prosecutions deter and can appropriately… Continue reading

“Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System”

February 2, 2025, 7:46 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave representatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to the federal payment system late on Friday, according to five people familiar with the change, handing Elon Musk and the team he is leading… Continue reading

“Elon Musk donated $288 million in 2024 election, final tally shows”

February 1, 2025, 7:19 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

WaPo: Billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $288 million to help elect President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, according to a Washington Post analysis of new Federal Election Commission filings that offered an end-of-year snapshotof what was spent during… Continue reading

“Campaign Cash Clash” (Interview with me on Marist’s polling podcast)

January 31, 2025, 7:42 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

I spoke with the Marist polling folks for their podcast on campaign finance and the 2024 elections. Listen.

“D.C. U.S. attorney fires Jan. 6 prosecutors, launches new probes”

January 31, 2025, 7:38 pmauthoritarian threats in US, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: Interim D.C. U.S. attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., on Friday dismissed about 30 federal prosecutors who have worked on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases over the past four years, undertaking a housecleaning of the top prosecutor’s office… Continue reading

“How Trump Could Defy the Constitution — or Find a Loophole — and Seize a Third Term”

January 31, 2025, 7:43 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Politico: But it can’t happen, right? After all, the Constitution imposes an explicit two-term limit on the presidency — even if those two terms, like Trump’s, are non-consecutive. “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more… Continue reading

“Musk Lawyer Tries to Build a Powerhouse Firm With a Billionaire Client”

January 31, 2025, 7:41 amelection law bizRick Hasen

NYT: Several top Republican lawyers are joining forces with the lawyer for the billionaire Elon Musk in hopes of building a new conservative legal powerhouse. Chris Gober, a swaggering Texas-based lawyer who has represented Mr. Musk in high-profile political fights… Continue reading

“Paramount in Settlement Talks With Trump Over ’60 Minutes’ Lawsuit” (Political Wire: Trump’s Lawsuit Settlements Look a Lot Like Bribery)

January 31, 2025, 7:30 ambribery, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: When Donald J. Trump sued CBS for $10 billion days before the 2024 election, accusing the company of deceptively editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, many legal experts dismissed the litigation as a far-fetched attempt… Continue reading