All posts by Rick Hasen

“How Conservative Christians Cracked a 70-Year-Old Law”

July 30, 2025, 8:44 amtax law and election lawRick Hasen

NYT deep dive: Earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service reinterpreted the ban, known as the Johnson Amendment, saying for the first time that churches could endorse candidates from the pulpit. The change, which came via a legal settlement, functionally… Continue reading

“Texas House Republicans unveil new congressional map that looks to pick up five GOP seats”

July 30, 2025, 8:32 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: Texas GOP lawmakers released their first draft of the state’s new congressional map Wednesday, proposing revamped district lines that attempt to flip five Democratic seats in next year’s midterm elections. The new map targets Democratic members of… Continue reading

“How Newsom could redraw career ambitions”

July 30, 2025, 7:58 amredistrictingRick Hasen

California Playbook: MAPPING IT OUT: The potential contours of a snap California redistrict are coming into focus (more on the politics of that exercise below). Attorney General Rob Bonta suggested yesterday that lawmakers could put a new, fully realized map before voters… Continue reading

Ellen Katz: “Redistricting Texas Now is Illegal and the U.S. Department of Justice is the Reason Why”

July 30, 2025, 7:53 amchicanery, direct democracy, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ellen Katz has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to the Texas Governor and Attorney General that claims four Texas congressional districts violate the Voting Rights Act and the… Continue reading

North Carolina: “All-GOP Appeals Court panel ruled against Stein in elections board dispute”

July 29, 2025, 2:36 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Carolina Journal: Three Republican members of the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued the April order that blocked a lower court ruling favoring Democratic Gov. Josh Stein in a dispute over state elections board appointments. Appeals Court rules blocked release… Continue reading

“DOJ Is Said to Plan to Contact All 50 States on Voting Systems”

July 29, 2025, 1:46 pmchicanery, Department of Justice, election administrationRick Hasen

Democracy Docket: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has said it intends to contact all 50 states about their compliance with federal voting law, a national association of state election officials told Democracy Docket. “As states recently began to receive… Continue reading

League of Women Voters, ACLU and Rutherford Institute File Amicus Brief Supporting Republican Representative Bost’s Standing to Sue over Accepting Ballots Arriving After Election Day

July 29, 2025, 1:10 pmcampaigns, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

They disagree on the merits of Bost’s position, but this filing at the Supreme Court supporting standing for Rep. Bost is still notable. See also this interesting amicus brief from Professor Michael Morley.

“Justice department asked California to give info on non-citizens on voter rolls”

July 29, 2025, 9:14 amchicanery, Department of Justice, election administrationRick Hasen

The Guardian: The Department of Justice has asked several large California counties to provide detailed personal information of non-citizens who got on to the state voter rolls, an unusual request that comes as the Trump administration has asked about a … Continue reading

“Project Veritas Withdraws Lawsuit Against The New York Times”

July 29, 2025, 8:25 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The conservative group Project Veritas this week dropped its yearslong libel lawsuit against The New York Times. The lawsuit accused The Times of defamation for an article published in 2020 that reported that researchers from Stanford University and… Continue reading

“PG investigation: How dark money flooded the race for Pittsburgh mayor”

July 29, 2025, 8:10 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Post-Gazette: With just weeks left in a grueling Democratic primary election that could shape Pittsburgh’s future, mayoral challenger Corey O’Connor’s dominant lead was slipping away as the incumbent seized the momentum. With help from progressive supporters, Mayor Ed Gainey ramped… Continue reading

“Dole and Kennedy Institutes publish landmark report on funding of election administration”

July 29, 2025, 7:55 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Release: A landmark report to be released on June 18 by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finds that local election administrators consistently lack sustained funding, adequate… Continue reading

“In Fight for House, New York May Follow Texas in Redrawing Maps”

July 28, 2025, 3:05 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: If Texas lawmakers follow through on President Trump’s call to redraw state congressional maps to help the Republican Party, New York leaders say they want to be ready to respond in kind. Democrats in the State Assembly and Senate… Continue reading

“Montana Initiative to File Bold Blueprint to Challenge Citizens United; New Amendment Would Use Corporate Law to Ban Political Spending”

July 28, 2025, 2:47 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Press release via email: The Transparent Election Initiative, a Montana organization, today released the public draft of a historic constitutional amendment that takes direct aim at Citizens United—and the corporate and dark money it unleashed into Montana’s politics. The amendment… Continue reading

“Democrats Plan $20 Million Fund to Target Texas Republicans for Redistricting”

July 28, 2025, 8:34 amcampaign finance, campaigns, redistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: The largest super PAC backing House Democrats is creating a new fund with upward of $20 million to target congressional Republicans in Texas if legislators there follow through on plans to redraw district lines to eliminate Democratic seats ahead… Continue reading