All posts by Rick Hasen

“Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns”

May 13, 2025, 7:43 ambribery, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Charlie Savage for the NYT: During President Trump’s first term, the idea that special interests and governments were buying meals and booking rooms at his hotels set off legal and ethical alarms about the potential for corruption. Mr. Trump’s second… Continue reading

“The Pa. House is set to approve new voter ID rules, reversing years of Democratic opposition”

May 13, 2025, 7:27 amelection administration, voter idRick Hasen

Philadelphia Inquirer: fter years of opposing such a measure, Pennsylvania Democrats are poised on Tuesday to allow a vote in the state House on a bill that, if passed, would create new ID requirements to vote in the commonwealth, alongside… Continue reading

“A VIP Seat at Donald Trump’s Crypto Dinner Cost at Least $2 Million”

May 13, 2025, 7:20 ambriberyRick Hasen

Wired: Ten days from now, 220 crypto investors will sit down to a lavish three-course dinner and enjoy “stunning views of the Potomac river” with US president Donald Trump at his 600-acre golf club in Washington, DC. To earn an invitation,… Continue reading

“Rule of law is ‘endangered,’ chief justice says”

May 13, 2025, 7:16 amauthoritarian threats in US, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Josh Gerstein for Politico: Chief Justice John Roberts described the rule of law as “endangered” and warned against “trashing the justices,” but speaking in Washington Monday he didn’t point fingers directly at President Donald Trump or his allies for publicly… Continue reading

Two from Mike Pitts on SSRN

May 13, 2025, 7:11 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Underruling Voting Rights: An “underrule” occurs when the Supreme Court renders a decision diametrically opposed to a prior case without explicitly overruling the prior case. With the decision in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference NAACP (2024), the Court has… Continue reading

“Voter Harassment and the Limits of State and Federal Power”

May 13, 2025, 7:07 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ellen Katz has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Acts of voter harassment are often difficult to prevent. One longstanding, albeit underused, tool for addressing such harassment is found in section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act… Continue reading

“Hispanic and Latino Voters’ Declining Political Cohesion: A Thorn in the Side of Thornburg v. Gingles’s Framework for Evaluating Claims Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act”

May 13, 2025, 7:05 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Jacob Maguire has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This paper argues that, based on recent electoral trends, the United States’ Hispanic and Latino community may no longer constitute a “politically cohesive” minority group under the U.S.… Continue reading

“DOJ Voting Section Has Just Three Lawyers Left, Watchdog Estimates”

May 12, 2025, 10:12 amDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

Democracy Docket: The voting section of the U.S. Department of Justice has only three attorneys left on staff, according to an estimate provided by a group working to support the department’s remaining staff. It’s a severe reduction in the voting… Continue reading

“Disputed North Carolina race offers playbook for beaten candidates, experts warn”

May 12, 2025, 7:50 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Sam Levine for The Guardian: A disputed North Carolina state supreme court race that took nearly six months to resolve revealed a playbook for future candidates who lose elections to retroactively challenge votes, observers warn, but its ultimate resolution sent… Continue reading

“Auction to Dine With Trump Creates Foreign Influence Opportunity; When the bidding stops Monday, the top buyers of a Trump family crypto coin will win a tour of the White House.”

May 12, 2025, 7:30 ambribery, chicanery, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

NYT: The sale of face-to-face access to President Trump using the Trump family’s own cryptocurrency has done more than benefit him financially, though it has certainly done that. Mr. Trump announced last month that leading buyers of a digital… Continue reading

“Trump administration poised to accept ‘palace in the sky’ as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources”

May 11, 2025, 8:09 ambribery, chicanery, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

ABC News: In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar… Continue reading

“After Criticism, Harris’s $900 Million Group Tries to Lay Out a Future”

May 11, 2025, 7:59 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election in November, a big-money group that had raised over $900 million to support her but ultimately failed in its efforts has kept a low profile — even as Ms.… Continue reading

“Judges say unsolicited pizza deliveries are meant to intimidate them”

May 11, 2025, 7:55 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

WaPo: Federal judges say unsolicited pizza deliveries to jurists’ homes that began in February may number in the hundreds across at least seven states, prompting increased security concerns and a demand from a Senate leader for a Justice Department… Continue reading

“Trump made historic gains with minority voters in 2024. They are already pulling back in 2025”

May 11, 2025, 7:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Ron Brownstein: In 2024, Trump improved his performance among some big voting blocs that have historically favored Democrats, including Latinos, younger men, non-White voters without a college degree, and, to some extent, Black men. Trump’s advances generated exuberant predictions… Continue reading