Election Law Scholars and Brennan Center File Amicus Brief in En Banc DC Circuit Case on the Power of FEC Commissioners to Use “Prosecutorial Discretion” to Prevent Judicial Review of Their Decisions
Important brief in a key case.
All posts by Rick Hasen
New NCSL Resource on State Voting Rights Acts
This looks like it will be very useful: Eight states have enacted their own Voting Rights Acts: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. These state VRAs mirror the federal VRA in many ways and are often… Continue reading
Must-Read Charlie Savage: “End of Trump Cases Leaves Limits on Presidential Criminality Unclear”
Charlie in the NYT:
The end of the two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday left momentous, unsettled questions about constraints on criminal wrongdoing by presidents, from the scope of presidential immunity to whether the Justice… Continue reading
“Top Trump Aide Accused of Asking for Money to ‘Promote’ Potential Appointees”
NYT:
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s legal team found evidence that a top adviser asked for retainer fees from potential appointees in order to promote them for jobs in the new administration, five people briefed on the matter said on Monday.… Continue reading
“Riggs’ lead drops by 67 votes as 60 counties complete NC Supreme Court recount”
Carolina Journal:
With 60 of North Carolina’s 100 counties completing recounts in a closely contested state Supreme Court race, appointed incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs’ lead has dropped by 67 votes over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin. Riggs still leads Griffin… Continue reading
“2024 marks a 21st century rarity: Almost everyone thinks the election results are legitimate”
Harry Enten for CNN:
the reaction from Democrats to Donald Trump’s 2024 victory is, to put it mildly, very much unlike their reaction to his 2016 win. Instead of mass protests in the streets, Democrats have been, for… Continue reading
“Election Integrity: How Do We Restore Faith in Our Election System?”
New video from Project Sphere, a collaborative Cato/Brookings debate project: “Election Integrity: How Do We Restore Faith in Our Election System?” A discussion with Jeanine Abrams McLean of FairCount, Dan McLaughlin of National Review, and Walter Olson of Cato, moderated… Continue reading
“Jack Smith files to drop Jan. 6 charges against Donald Trump”
NBC News:
Special counsel Jack Smith has filed a motion to drop all four felony charges against President-elect Donald Trump in connection with his effort to overturn his 2020 presidential election in the lead-up to the deadly Jan. 6 attack… Continue reading
“How Democrats Lost Their Base and Their Message”
Nate Cohn for NYT’s “The Tilt:”
It has long been clear that the rise of Donald J. Trump meant the end of the Republican Party as we once knew it.
It has belatedly become clear that his rise may have… Continue reading
“Trump’s Judicial Hero Would Have Hated His Recess Appointments Plan”
Adam Liptak NYT Sidebar column:
President-elect Donald J. Trump has singled out one former member of the Supreme Court as his judicial north star: Justice Antonin Scalia, a giant of the conservative legal movement who died in 2016.
“Justice… Continue reading
“A Lesson From Poland: Reversing Populist Policies Is Tough”
NYT:
He promised salvation for a country “in ruins” — an end to immigration, a civil service stripped of entrenched left-wing opponents, a judiciary purged of meddlesome judges and a news media giving voice to the people instead of elites.… Continue reading
“Questions about provisional ballots remain as Casey and McCormick withdraw lawsuits”
Penn Capital-Star:
The Democratic and Republican parties will withdraw 20 lawsuits on behalf of their candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat following incumbent Sen. Bob Casey’s concession Thursday to Senator-elect Dave McCormick.
Filed in more than a dozen counties, the… Continue reading
“Will Trump’s high-turnout win make Republicans rethink opposition to voting access?”
Miles Park for NPR:
When John Merrill was secretary of state of Alabama, he felt like it was his job as the state’s top voting official to encourage voter registration.
“One of the things I was known for as a… Continue reading
“No Labels goes after opponents of third-party presidential bid in court”
WaPo:
Leaders of the centrist group No Labels abandoned a planned third-party presidential bid in April after a successful campaign by Democratic allies of President Joe Biden damaged their public appeal and undermined their ability to recruit electable candidates.… Continue reading