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

I was greatly honored this weekend to receive this award at the annual meeting of the American Law School Association, even if it partly means I have been at this work for a long time.  It’s particularly meaningful to me… Continue reading

The theme of this year’s annual meeting of the American Law Schools Association is Defending Democracy. I’ll be speaking tomorrow on this terrific panel: Legislation, Governance, and Democratic Fragility (co-sponsored Legislation and the Political Process) Moderator: Vicki C. Jackson, Harvard… Continue reading

From NYT: Perhaps no federal officeholder in modern American history has been accused of ignoring, testing or breaking as many aspects of campaign finance law so flagrantly, in such a short span of time, as George Santos has. But his… Continue reading

From the Washington Post: The demise of political party bosses and the smoke-filled rooms in which they operated was heralded a long time ago as an important step toward handing more power over the selection of presidential nominees to ordinary… Continue reading

From Politico: A POLITICO review of tax filings, financial statements and other public documents found that Leo and his network of nonprofit groups are either directly or indirectly connected to a majority of amicus briefs filed on behalf of conservative… Continue reading

As many have noted, Justice O’Connor was the last Justice on the Court who had a political background. She was the majority leader of the Arizona state senate, before becoming a judge and then Justice. Can we say anything about… Continue reading