All posts by Rick Hasen

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

“Supreme Court Signals That Landmark Libel Ruling Is Secure”

February 10, 2025, 7:36 amFirst Amendment theory, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Adam Liptak for the NYT: Starting in 2019, Justice Clarence Thomas has repeatedly called for the Supreme Court to reconsider New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark First Amendment decision that made it hard for public officials to prevail… Continue reading

“Advocate of Jan. 6 Rioters Now Runs Office That Investigated Them”

February 10, 2025, 7:29 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, Department of Justice, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: Ed Martin was in the mob outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, posting on social media that the violent riot that day was marked by “faith and joy.” He has often echoed President Trump’s false claims that… Continue reading

25th Anniversary of Bush v. Gore Two-Day Conference at Florida State

February 10, 2025, 7:21 amBush v. Gore reflections, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I went to the first conference on Bush v. Gore at Florida State back right when the case was decided, and I’m very excited to be going back for this event with an amazing group on Feb. 28 and March… Continue reading

“GOP laws aimed at very rare noncitizen voting could hit eligible voters”

February 10, 2025, 7:15 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squad, voter registrationRick Hasen

WaPo: In the months before last year’s election, Alabama removed valid voters from the rolls after wrongly tagging them as noncitizens. Tennessee’s secretary of state told 14,000 voters they had to prove their citizenship. And officials debatedwhetherhundreds of thousands of… Continue reading

“Trump’s Blueprint for Bending the Media Has Nixon Written All Over It”

February 9, 2025, 3:09 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Jim Rutenberg for the NYT: Mr. Trump and his aides have called reporters for major news outlets liars; falsely accused them of accepting government payoffs for favorable treatment of Democrats (a misrepresentation of agency spending on news subscriptions); and made… Continue reading

Eric Holder: “The Courts Must Stop This Judge From Stealing an Election”

February 9, 2025, 9:44 amchicanery, election subversion risk, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Eric Holder NYT oped: But there is no suggestion that any of these 60,000-plus voters acted improperly, deliberately cast illegal ballots or failed to produce required identification when voting. And when the State Board of Elections reviewed his claim,… Continue reading

“Broken elevators threaten St. Louis primary as election equipment trapped on 3rd floor”

February 9, 2025, 9:42 amelection administrationRick Hasen

KSDK: A brewing crisis at a downtown St. Louis building has placed millions of dollars of voting equipment in limbo and raised serious questions about elevator maintenance oversight, just days before the March primary election begins. Approximately 80 steel… Continue reading

“U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test”

February 9, 2025, 9:22 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

WaPo: Candidates for top national security positions in the Trump administration have faced questions that appear designed to determine whether they have embraced the president’s false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election and its aftermath, according to people… Continue reading

“Why Federal Courts May Be the Last Bulwark Against Trump”

February 9, 2025, 9:18 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: More than 40 lawsuits filed in recent days by state attorneys general, unions and nonprofits seek to erect a bulwark in the federal courts against President Trump’s blitzkrieg of executive actions that have upended much of the federal government… Continue reading

“Trump’s defamation and media litigation spikes”

February 9, 2025, 9:10 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Axios: Since President Trump began his political career in 2015, the number of media and defamation lawsuits involving him or his businesses as either the plaintiff or defendant quadrupled compared to the prior three decades, according to an Axios analysis… Continue reading

“Trump and Musk Attack Journalists by Name in Social Media Posts”

February 8, 2025, 2:06 pmauthoritarian threats in US, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump has made clear his animus toward mainstream media organizations. Now he’s getting more personal. Mr. Trump and his key lieutenant, Elon Musk, who has been empowered to run what they call the Department of Government Efficiency… Continue reading