All posts by Rick Hasen

“Former US Sen. Bob Menendez gets 11 years in prison for taking bribes and acting as agent of Egypt” (and Appears to Be Angling for a Trump Pardon)

January 30, 2025, 6:52 ambribery, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt — crimes his lawyer said he’s been mocked for as “Gold Bar… Continue reading

“DOJ moves to drop charges against former GOP lawmaker in case criticized by Trump”

January 30, 2025, 6:48 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: The Justice Department has moved to drop its criminal prosecution of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican who resigned last year after a conviction on charges that he lied to the FBI. Fortenberry’s conviction by a federal jury … Continue reading

“Trump Signs Agreement Calling for Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle Suit”

January 29, 2025, 1:37 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: President Trump has signed settlement papers that are expected to require Meta Platforms to pay roughly $25 million to resolve a 2021 lawsuit Trump brought after the company suspended his accounts following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that year, according… Continue reading

“U.S. seeks to drop case against Virginia over voter-roll cleanup before election”

January 29, 2025, 7:42 amDepartment of Justice, NVRA (motor voter)Rick Hasen

Votebeat: The U.S. Justice Department sought Tuesday to pull out of an ongoing voting rights case against Virginia over the state’s removal of names from voter rolls shortly before the November election. The department’s motion for dismissal, filed in… Continue reading

“Kansas bills would end grace period for mail ballots and ban ranked-choice voting”

January 29, 2025, 7:38 amabsentee ballots, alternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas’s two election committees are fast at work in the Kansas Statehouse this year and have already had hearings on some of the more controversial election bills being considered. Kansas has taken on a flurry of election security… Continue reading

“Trudeau Government Left Canada Vulnerable to Foreign Interference, Report Finds”

January 29, 2025, 7:24 amchicanery, comparative election lawRick Hasen

NYT: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government was “insufficiently transparent” about foreign interference in Canadian politics and sometimes took “too long to act” against attempts to meddle in the country’s past two general elections by foreign powers including China and India,… Continue reading

“After a Judge’s Death, Renewed Scrutiny for a Georgia Loophole That Can Nullify Elections”

January 28, 2025, 3:27 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Bolts: After losing his reelection bid last summer, Georgia State Court Judge Stephen Yekel turned to a loophole in state law that could have erased the result and blocked the winner from taking office. In Georgia, if judges… Continue reading

“Trump Asks Mike Johnson if He’ll Allow Prez a Third Term”

January 28, 2025, 11:09 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Daily Beast: Donald Trump again publicly mused about serving further presidential terms Monday, asking Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson whether he was “allowed to”—just a few days after another House Republican introduced legislation to enable just that. “I’ve raised a… Continue reading

“Trump’s perceived enemies brace for retribution with plans, dark humor” (As election officials pack “go bags,” what would you say if you saw it in another country?)

January 28, 2025, 7:57 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

WaPo: Sitting in front of a fireplace on New Year’s Eve, a battleground state official asked a relative to consider a grave question before they kicked off their celebrations. Would she be willing, the official asked, to take care of… Continue reading

“Justice Dept. Fires Prosecutors Who Worked on Trump Investigations”

January 28, 2025, 7:37 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: The acting attorney general on Monday fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on the two criminal investigations into Donald J. Trump for the special counsel Jack Smith, saying they could not be trusted to “faithfully implement” the… Continue reading

“A federal appeals court considers who should decide whether NC votes are thrown out”

January 28, 2025, 7:31 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

NC Newsline: In a pivotal hearing in the North Carolina Supreme Court elections case, the lawyer representing the state Board of Elections faced a barrage of questions from a federal court of appeals judge about the appropriateness of calling back… Continue reading

“They Followed North Carolina Election Rules When They Cast Their Ballots. Now Their Votes Could Be Tossed Anyway.”

January 28, 2025, 7:28 amchicanery, judicial electionsRick Hasen

ProPublica: A Republican judge has spent more than two months trying to overturn his narrow defeat for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat by arguing that around 60,000 ballots should be tossed out. But many residents have only recently learned… Continue reading

“White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion”

January 28, 2025, 7:26 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: he White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington. In a two-page document, Matthew J.… Continue reading

“One of 2025’s Biggest Battles Over Abortion Rights Has Already Begun” (Wisconsin Supreme Court Election)

January 27, 2025, 7:37 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

NYT: Tens of millions of dollars flooding into a state election. A nakedly political candidate for a judgeship. Huge policy stakes for a key battleground state. Two years ago, a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court vividly demonstrated how local… Continue reading

Election Law Blog

The law of politics and the politics of law