All posts by Rick Hasen

“Sitting US Senator Alex Padilla forcibly wrestled to the ground . . . for attempting to ask a question of DHS secretary Kristin Noem” (Video)

June 12, 2025, 12:23 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Horrifying and dangerous: Sitting US Senator Alex Padilla forcibly wrestled to the ground and arrested by the FBI for attempting to ask a question of DHS secretary Kristin Noem.— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) 2025-06-12T18:40:59.172Z

“DHS Said to Brief Cleta Mitchell’s Group on Citizenship Checks for Voting”

June 12, 2025, 12:17 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Democracy Docket: A senior official in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held a briefing for a far-right anti-voting group on Thursday, according to an email sent by the group. The virtual meeting was to discuss how a database run… Continue reading

Available in Time for Fall Classes: The CONCISE Sixth Edition of Laycock and Hasen, Modern American Remedies

June 12, 2025, 11:24 ampedagogy, RemediesRick Hasen

Here’s the page; official publication date is July 25, 2025. And the regular Sixth Edition is already out in print. Reach out if you want to adopt either version in time for fall classes.

“Trump lawyers ask appeals court to move his hush money case to federal court”

June 12, 2025, 7:54 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: One year after his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case, Donald Trump is still fighting to shed his felon status. The president’s personal lawyers appeared before a federal appeals court Wednesday, urging a three-judge panel to transfer… Continue reading

“Trump’s DOJ makes its most sweeping demand for election data yet”

June 11, 2025, 3:01 pmelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NPR: The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding an unprecedented amount of election data from at least one state, according to documents obtained by NPR, as the DOJ transformed by the Trump administration reviews cases targeting the president’s political allies… Continue reading

“The Standard of Proof in Racial-Gerrymandering Cases: Alexander’s Mistake and its Implications”

June 11, 2025, 2:48 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Pardo has posted this fascinating paper (forthcoming, University of Illinois L. Rev) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the United States Supreme Court reversed a district court ruling that… Continue reading

“D.C.’s Stalwart in Congress Clings to Her Seat Amid Signs of Decline”

June 11, 2025, 11:06 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: When Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Democrat and nonvoting delegate for Washington, D.C., attended a recent gala to accept an award honoring her decades-long career in Congress, she appeared to be struggling to read her brief remarks. Standing onstage… Continue reading

“Bipartisan deals on voting and election changes are rare. It just happened in one swing state”

June 11, 2025, 7:39 amelection administrationRick Hasen

AP: Facing a legislature dominated by Democrats, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo stood before Nevada lawmakers earlier this year with a message that some did not expect to go far: “Set aside partisan politics.” It was a plea that might have… Continue reading

“Justice Dept. to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad”

June 11, 2025, 7:21 ambriberyRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department has closed about half of its open investigations into bribery by U.S. businesses overseas, but plans to initiate prosecutions to more narrowly focus on misconduct that hurts the country’s capacity to compete with foreign companies, officials… Continue reading

“Lawsuit accuses Musk of bribing Wisconsin voters with cash prizes”

June 11, 2025, 7:19 ambribery, chicanery, vote buyingRick Hasen

WaPo: A Wisconsin nonprofit organization focused on fighting for fair elections has filed a legal complaint alleging that billionaire Elon Musk illegally bribed voters by giving out cash prizes this year in his attempt to help conservatives take control of… Continue reading

“Trump Threatens Any Protesters at Military Parade With ‘Very Big Force’”

June 10, 2025, 12:54 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump said on Tuesday that protesters who assembled during a military parade he planned in Washington on Saturday for the Army’s 250th birthday would be met with “very big force” — a dark warning that made no distinction… Continue reading

“Real paper ballots are a must: N.Y. needs to get rid of touchscreen voting machines”

June 10, 2025, 10:31 amvoting technologyRick Hasen

NYDN editorial: This afternoon a state appellate panel in Albany is hearing a case to reinstate a good government group lawsuit against the state Board of Elections for wrongly allowing new voting machines that dispense with the indispensable needed for… Continue reading

Aspen Leading Edge Podcast: “114: Modern American Remedies with Douglas Laycock and Richard Hasen”

June 10, 2025, 10:06 amRemediesRick Hasen

I enjoyed this conversation with Doug Laycock and Patty Roberts about the just-published Sixth Edition of Laycock & Hasen, Modern American Remedies (6th ed. 2025): Douglas Laycock, University of Virginia Law School, and Richard Hasen, UCLA School of Law, discuss… Continue reading

“Fake Images and Conspiracy Theories Swirl Around L.A. Protests”

June 10, 2025, 7:22 amcheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: Misleading photographs, videos and text have spread widely on social media as protests against immigrant raids have unfolded in Los Angeles, rehashing old conspiracy theories and expressing support for President Trump’s actions. The flood of falsehoods online appeared intended… Continue reading