All posts by Rick Hasen

“Trump Moves to Replace Officials Whom New Presidents Traditionally Leave Alone”

December 20, 2024, 2:55 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Charlie Savage for the NYT: President-elect Donald J. Trump has moved to install loyalists in jobs that Congress did not intend for new presidents to replace at the start of their terms, eroding a traditional constraint on executive power even… Continue reading

Quote of the Day

December 20, 2024, 12:00 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

“One or more of the organizations of the Plaintiffs’ counsels are politically based organizations, such as the organization United to Protect Democracy, whose website states: ‘Protect Democracy is a… group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat… and protecting liberal democracy.… Continue reading

“Judges increasingly alarmed as Trump’s Jan. 6 clemency decision nears”

December 20, 2024, 10:09 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Politico: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan says she has often reassured police officers traumatized by the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, that “the rule of law still applies.” But as President-elect Donald Trump — once a defendant in Chutkan’s very … Continue reading

“‘Co-president’ Elon Musk? Trump ally tests influence in spending fight”

December 20, 2024, 7:35 amPlutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

WaPo: Elon Musk has never been elected to office. President-elect Donald Trump has not tapped him to serve in any role inside the government. Until the July assassination attempt, he never even publicly supported Trump. But this week, critics… Continue reading

“Patel floated criminally probing police, lawmakers involved in Jan. 6 committee”

December 20, 2024, 7:26 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, has suggested that multiple individuals previously critical of the president-elect should be criminally investigated, according to a review by The Washington Post of dozens of hours of appearances on conservative… Continue reading

“Can Democracy Survive the Disruptive Power of AI?”

December 20, 2024, 7:24 amcheap speechRick Hasen

Raluca Csernatoni for the Carnegie Endowment.

ELB Book Corner: Nick Stephanopoulos: “Aligning Election Law – Aligning (and Misaligning) Institutions”

December 20, 2024, 7:00 amELB Book CornerRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Nick Stephanopoulos to the ELB Book Corner, writing about his new book, Aligning Election Law. This is the fifth of five posts: I finished yesterday’s post about my new book, “Aligning Election Law,” by… Continue reading

“Online Ad Spending in the 2024 Election Topped $1.35 Billion”

December 19, 2024, 5:29 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

New from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, OpenSecrets, and the Wesleyan Media Project. Key findings: Between January 1, 2023, and November 5, 2024, online political advertisers spent $1.35 billion to buy ads on Google and Meta. More… Continue reading

“States Must Take the Lead on Election Security”

December 19, 2024, 5:27 pmelection administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

Derek Tisler Brennan Center brief: American elections face increasingly complex cyber and physical security threats from foreign adversaries, emerging technology, and escalating risks of political violence. Fortifying election systems against these threats is essential. Historically, state and local governments have… Continue reading

“Campaign Finance: Observations on Public Financing Programs in Selected States and Localities”

December 19, 2024, 1:12 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

New GAO report: States and localities have generally implemented public campaign financing programs using one of three models: (1) grants—participating candidates receive lump-sum grants of public funds; (2) matching funds—participating candidates receive public funds matching certain private contributions they raise,… Continue reading

“Republican Appeals Court Judge Griffin asks the NC Supreme Court to throw out votes”

December 19, 2024, 7:36 amjudicial elections, recountsRick Hasen

NC Newsline: Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin asked the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to do what the state Board of Elections would not — throw out tens of thousands of votes on the belief that canceling them will… Continue reading

“Georgia Court of Appeals strips Fulton DA Fani Willis of Trump election interference case”

December 19, 2024, 7:09 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

AJC: The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office should be removed from the 2020 election interference case, a bombshell decision that will upend the last remaining criminal case against… Continue reading

“How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge”

December 19, 2024, 7:05 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WSJ: To adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader, they told visitors to keep meetings focused. Interactions with senior Democratic lawmakers and some cabinet members—including powerful secretaries such as Defense’s Lloyd Austin and Treasury’s Janet Yellen—were infrequent or grew… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Nick Stephanopoulos: “Aligning Election Law –Doctrinal Applications”

December 19, 2024, 7:00 amELB Book CornerRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Nick Stephanopoulos to the ELB Book Corner, writing about his new book, Aligning Election Law. This is the fourth of five posts: In my posts to date about my new book, “Aligning Election Law,”… Continue reading