Interesting pre-print on these issues: The Ties that Blind: Misperceptions of the Opponent Fringe and the Miscalibration of Political Contempt Victoria A. Parker, Matthew Feinberg, Alexa Tullett, & Anne E. Wilson Abstract Americans’ hostility toward political opponents has intensified to… Continue reading

Putting to the side the merits of the Court’s decision itself, I think the stakes going forward are lower than might be realized. After the 2010 round of redistricting, racial gerrymandering cases became important during a transitional phase of redistricting… Continue reading

As I noted earlier on this blog, the Court was faced with a procedural mess (I called it a “train wreck”) in the LA redistricting case. Two different federal courts had issued two decisions which left LA with no valid… Continue reading

The stay applications before the Supreme Court this week on Louisiana’s congressional map represent the biggest procedural quagmire in a Voting Rights Act I can recall seeing: 1. One federal court held that Louisiana’s newly enacted map, after the 2020… Continue reading

In South Dakota, reformers have gathered far more signatures than needed to get a measure on the ballot in November that would create a Top Two open primary, much like CA and WA use. Those signatures now have to be… Continue reading

Rick Pildes here. A month after Jan. 6, 2021, I wrote an essay in the New York Times asserting that “every political reform proposal must [now] be judged by its ability to fuel or weaken extremist candidates.” I’ve now posted… Continue reading

This story reports that proponents of this ballot measure appear to have gained enough signatures to get the measured qualified for the ballot this fall. This is “the Alaska model” of primary reform, a reform that both Ned Foley and… Continue reading

During last week’s arguments on this issue, the Special Counsel took the position that there are a significant number of limitations on potential criminal prosecutions of ex-Presidents. These limitations would provide ex-Presidents with functional immunity, when they apply. They are… Continue reading

Ned Foley blogged yesterday about The Dunwody Symposium which starts today at the University of Florida. For those of you who prefer visual information rather than text, here are the full details, starting with Ned himself this am, along with… Continue reading

As I’ve written before, a mistake many political reformers make is in assuming that most citizens are as engaged in politics as the reformers are, or would be if given the appropriate opportunities. A new paper on the Seattle campaign… Continue reading

Amidst all the music and films, Nate Persily and I will be speaking today at SXSW on the legal challenges facing the 2024 election. Looking forward to discussing all these issues with a different audience than usual: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/events/PP1145698

This Washington Post story features Prof. Doug Spencer, an election law expert, in both his personal and professional identities: Professor Douglas Spencer began his Thursday afternoon class at the University of Colorado Law School by reading a text message he… Continue reading

Synder, a well-known Yale political scientist, participated in an amicus brief in the case on behalf of academics who study democratic backsliding in other countries. A recent substack post of his illustrates the kind of reaction the Court can expect… Continue reading