All posts by Rick Hasen

“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

“Georgia high court rejects election board’s rules for hand counts and inquiries”

June 10, 2025, 7:16 amelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

AJC: The State Election Board exceeded its authority by passing new voting rules last year, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday, limiting the Republican-led board’s power. The 96-page decision upholds a lower court decision last year that invalidated… Continue reading

“The Real Problem With the Democrats’ Ground Game”

June 10, 2025, 7:13 amcampaigns, political partiesRick Hasen

Russell Berman in The Atlantic: They called it the “Big Send.” Democrats gathered in living rooms, libraries, and coffee shops across the country to write letters to millions of potential voters in swing states and competitive congressional districts, urging them to… Continue reading

“White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains”

June 10, 2025, 7:05 amredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s political team is encouraging Republican leaders in Texas to examine how House district lines in the state could be redrawn ahead of next year’s midterm elections to try to save the party’s endangered majority, according to people… Continue reading

“Trump Can Restrict A.P. Journalists’ Access, Appeals Court Rules”

June 9, 2025, 7:26 amFirst Amendment theoryRick Hasen

NYT on what is perhaps the worst ruling on freedom of the press that I’ve ever read: A federal appeals court on Friday paused a lower court’s ruling that had required the White House to allow journalists from The Associated… Continue reading

“Georgian falsely accused in ‘2000 Mules’ of voting fraud wants filmmaker to pay”

June 9, 2025, 7:18 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AJC: A man falsely accused of voting fraud in the conspiracy film “2000 Mules” tried to hold its producers responsible Friday, asking a federal judge to rule in his favor. But the moviemakers, including conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza and the… Continue reading

Thanks to Justin and Derek for ELB Blogging These Last Two Weeks….and Here’s What’s Coming

June 9, 2025, 7:14 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Always appreciate the excellent work of my fellow ELB contributors! I’m back in this week, before a big stretch of ELB contributors through June and July: Week of June 16, 2025Rick PildesWeek of June 23, 2025Justin LevittWeek of June 30,… Continue reading

“Trump says Elon Musk will face ‘very serious consequences’ if he funds Democratic candidates”

June 7, 2025, 11:31 amauthoritarian threats in US, campaign financeRick Hasen

NBC News: President Donald Trump on Saturday said there would be “serious consequences” if tech mogul Elon Musk funds Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favor of the GOP’s sweeping budget bill. “If he does, he’ll have… Continue reading

Supreme Court Will Not Hear What Could Have Been Major Test of Independent State Legislature Theory Out of Pennsylvania

June 6, 2025, 3:38 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

In an unusually timed orders list, the Supreme Court with no noted dissents turned down RNC v. Genser. As I’ve repeatedly written, if the Supreme Court is going to clarify the independent state legislature theory’s scope, it is best… Continue reading