All posts by Rick Hasen

Levitsky and Way: “The Path to American Authoritarianism: What Comes After Democratic Breakdown”

February 12, 2025, 7:44 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Steven Letvitsky and Lucian Way in Foreign Affairs: U.S. democracy will likely break down during the second Trump administration, in the sense that it will cease to meet standard criteria for liberal democracy: full adult suffrage, free and fair… Continue reading

“US Homeland Security says election security personnel placed on leave”

February 12, 2025, 7:18 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Reuters: The Department of Homeland Security, as part of an evaluation of its election security mission, said on Tuesday that personnel focused on misinformation, disinformation and foreign influence operations aimed at U.S. elections have been placed on administrative leave. DHS… Continue reading

Must-Read Bloomberg Law Deep Dive: “Voting Rights Claims Plunge in Wake of Supreme Court Decision”

February 12, 2025, 7:15 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I’ve been waiting to see the results of this study, and it’s consistent with my own research and what I’ve written for my upcoming Yale Law Journal Feature about how Brnovich killed Section 2 vote denial cases: After the Supreme… Continue reading

“The Rise of America’s Broligarchy and What to Do About It”

February 12, 2025, 7:01 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Larry Norden and Dan Weiner in Time: While the corrupting influence of big money over our government is not new, the specifics of this danger are different today than perhaps at any other time in our nation’s history. Tech billionaires,… Continue reading

“Former Sheriff Hayden investigated Johnson County’s top election official, records show”

February 11, 2025, 5:05 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

KC Star: Former Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden investigated Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman over allegations of voter intimidation, according to records obtained by The Star. The case was the only one Hayden, a Republican, ever sent to Johnson… Continue reading

Must Read Adam Liptak in the NYT: “Trump’s Actions Have Created a Constitutional Crisis, Scholars Say” (Gift Link)

February 11, 2025, 7:13 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: There is no universally accepted definition of a constitutional crisis, but legal scholars agree about some of its characteristics. It is generally the product of presidential defiance of laws and judicial rulings. It is not binary: It is a… Continue reading

“Trump allies suggest defying court orders after stinging legal rebukes”

February 11, 2025, 7:10 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Washington Post: Federal judges have issued President Donald Trump stinging legal rebukes in the early clashes over his blitz of executive orders, and two of his top advisers have responded by suggesting that his administration defy the courts and move… Continue reading

“Push to Drop Adams Charges Reveals a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway”

February 11, 2025, 7:07 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York, a remarkable incursion into a continuing criminal case that raises questions about the fair administration of justice during President… Continue reading

“Fiery Directives Under Trump’s Justice Dept. Signal a Significant Shift”

February 11, 2025, 7:05 amauthoritarian threats in US, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Hours after being sworn in as President Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi declared to the entire Justice Department work force, “This shameful era ends today.” That assertion, in one of 14 memos she issued on Wednesday, underscored what many… Continue reading

“Trump Pauses Enforcement of Law Banning Foreign Bribery”

February 11, 2025, 7:03 ambriberyRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump on Monday ordered a pause in the enforcement of a federal law aimed at curbing corruption in multinational companies, saying it creates an uneven playing field for American firms. The law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,… Continue reading

“With firings and lax enforcement, Trump moving to dismantle government’s public integrity guardrails”

February 11, 2025, 7:00 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

AP: In the first three weeks of his administration, President Donald Trump has moved with brazen haste to dismantle the federal government’s public integrity guardrails that he frequently tested during his first term but now seems intent on removing entirely.… Continue reading

Levitsky: “The New Authoritarianism: This isn’t single-party rule, but it’s not democracy either.”

February 11, 2025, 6:57 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Steve Levitsky in The Atlantic: With the leader of a failed coup back in the White House and pursuing an unprecedented assault on the constitutional order, many Americans are starting to wrap their mind around what authoritarianism could look like… Continue reading

Weiser and Garber: “The SAVE Act Would Undermine Voter Registration for all Americans”

February 10, 2025, 12:49 pmelection administration, voter registrationRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from Wendy Weiser & Andrew Garber: Last month, congressional Republicans pledged to fast-track the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), a bill that would require all Americans to provide a birth certificate, passport, or one… Continue reading

“Trump Muses About a Third Term, Over and Over Again”

February 10, 2025, 7:39 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Maggie Haberman for the NYT: Just eight days after he won a second term, Mr. Trump — whose supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory from being certified… Continue reading