All posts by Rick Hasen

“Why the White House insists Elon Musk is merely an ’employee'”

February 20, 2025, 6:51 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: It’s the Elon Musk paradox. On X, he’s a noble gladiator with a mission direct from President Donald Trump. He brags at length about using his “Department of Government Efficiency” to dismantle federal bureaucracies, cancel taxpayer-funded programs and transform… Continue reading

“Recall Adams instead of Gov. Hochul removing him”

February 20, 2025, 6:45 amrecall electionsRick Hasen

Jerry Goldfeder oped in the NYDN.

“Trump signs order to claim power over independent agencies”

February 19, 2025, 7:42 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Politico: President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order bringing independent agencies under the control of the White House — an action that would greatly expand his power but is likely to attract significant legal challenges. It represents… Continue reading

“Georgia Republicans advance a plan to leave a bipartisan voter data group, despite warnings”

February 19, 2025, 7:38 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

AP: For years, Republicans echoing President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was ridden with voter fraud have pushed for states to leave a bipartisan group that lets officials share data to keep voter rolls accurate. Nine… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court dismisses Racine voting van lawsuit”

February 19, 2025, 7:36 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

WPR: The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority has dismissed a lawsuit claiming a Racine mobile-voting van is illegal, ruling that the Republican man who filed the challenge didn’t have legal standing to do so. The battle over the voting van… Continue reading

“The Trump Administration Is Going After Our Elections Too”

February 18, 2025, 3:05 pmvoting technologyRick Hasen

Larry Norden and Derek Tisler at Slate: In its crusade against federal agencies, the Trump administration is targeting our election system, making potentially dangerous reductions to protections that help keep elections free, fair, and secure. On Friday, the acting director… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Crawford, Schimel won’t pledge to recuse from cases involving political parties”

February 18, 2025, 7:08 amjudicial elections, political partiesRick Hasen

Wisconsin Public Radio: With Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election on track to be the most expensive judiciary election in history, neither candidate has pledged to recuse themselves from hearing cases involving the political parties backing their races. In an interview with… Continue reading

“NC elections officials seek to fast-track state Supreme Court race battle”

February 18, 2025, 6:46 amfraudulent fraud squad, judicial electionsRick Hasen

WRAL: The North Carolina Board of Elections asked the state Supreme Court to use its power to bypass the state Court of Appeals and take up Republican Jefferson Griffin’s election challenge — a case that could determine whether Griffin wins… Continue reading

“Trump Suggests No Laws Are Broken if He’s ‘Saving His Country'”

February 17, 2025, 7:20 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump on Saturday posted on social media a single sentence that appears to encapsulate his attitude as he tests the nation’s legal and constitutional boundaries in the process of upending the federal government and punishing his perceived enemies.… Continue reading

“Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash”

February 17, 2025, 7:18 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: The demoralization and fear gripping blue America in the early weeks of President Trump’s administration have left liberal groups and their allies struggling for cash, hurting their ability to effectively combat the right-wing transformation of the federal government. The… Continue reading

Elon Musk Says “60 Minutes” Journalists “Deserve a Long Prison Sentence” after Airing Critical Report; Where are the Free Speech Organizations on the Right Condemning this Intimidation of Journalists by Government Official?

February 17, 2025, 7:13 amchicanery, First Amendment theoryRick Hasen

Despicable:

“Morning Digest: A Georgia Republican says he alone can raise unlimited sums. His rivals have other ideas”

February 17, 2025, 7:02 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

The Downballot: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hasn’t yet announced his long-anticipated campaign for governor of Georgia, but he’s already taking advantage of a state law allowing him to raise unlimited sums of money—something none of his would-be rivals can… Continue reading

“Top US Election Security Watchdog Forced to Stop Election Security Work”

February 15, 2025, 2:40 pmchicanery, voting technologyRick Hasen

Eric Geller for Wired: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has frozen all of its election security work and is reviewing everything it has done to help state and local officials secure their elections for the past eight years, WIRED… Continue reading

“Government Workers Cannot Be Fired for Their Political Views”

February 15, 2025, 2:35 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

John Langford and Erica Newland in The Atlantic: Political-patronage systems promote corruption at the expense of effective governance, and Americans grew dissatisfied with the cronyism and moblike rule that flowed from the spoils system. Following decades of effort to enact… Continue reading