Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Order To Redo Louisiana Maps Temporarily Halted By Circuit Court”

June 10, 2022, 7:23 amUncategorizedRedistricting; Louisiana, Voting Rights Act; Section 2Guy Charles

The Fifth Circuit has issued a temporary stay of the district court opinion in Robinson v. Ardoin. Here is a short story by Bloomberg reporter Meghashyam Mali. This development is not surprising. The question for me is whether the plaintiffs… Continue reading

“Dems meddle in Senate primary to advance hardline MAGA Republican”

June 9, 2022, 12:19 pmUncategorizedGuy Charles

Natalie Allison for Politico. From the article: “Colorado isn’t viewed as a prime Republican Senate pickup opportunity this fall — not yet at least.In the hopes of keeping it that way, Democrats are aggressively advancing the campaign of a… Continue reading

“Ten years later, California’s ‘top two’ primary isn’t always what it seems”

June 9, 2022, 12:10 pmUncategorizedCalifornia; Top-two primary; political partiesGuy Charles

John Myers has this piece in the LA Times. From the article: “The promises made by supporters of the top-two primary largely fell into one of three categories: increased participation by the state’s growing number of independent voters, a decrease… Continue reading

America’s Redistricting Process Is Breaking Democracy

June 9, 2022, 9:12 amUncategorizedredistrictingGuy Charles

This is a few days old but worth highlighting. In the New Yorker by Sue Halpern (@suehalpernvt). From the piece: “The redistricting process may seem arcane and academic, even negligible, but it is a foundation of representative… Continue reading

Even if the Court Endorses the Independent State Legislature Doctrine, it Would Not Mean State Legislatures Could Appoint Presidential Electors After the Election Has Taken Place

June 9, 2022, 9:09 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

The Supreme Court is likely to grant a cert. petition, possibly the pending one from North Carolina, on what’s known as the “independent state legislature” issue. The Constitution’s Elections Clause gives state “legislatures” power to regulate national elections; the issue… Continue reading

“The Law of Democratic Disqualification”

June 9, 2022, 9:03 amUncategorizedGuy Charles

A new law review article forthcoming in the California Law Review by Tom Ginsburg (University of Chicago), Aziz Huq (University of Chicago), and David Landau (Florida State University). From the abstract: Almost all constitutions, including our own, contain one or… Continue reading

“The Supreme Court Is Not Supposed to Have This Much Power”

June 9, 2022, 8:58 amUncategorizedJudicial Review; Judicial Supremacy; CongressGuy Charles

Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan for The Atlantic. From the piece: “Contrary to what many people have come to believe, judicial supremacy is not in the Constitution, and does not date from the founding era. It took hold of… Continue reading

“Bipartisan Senate group eyes deal ‘this week’ on bill to prevent future coups”

June 9, 2022, 7:27 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Sahil Kapur for NBC News: As the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 plot prepares to kick off its first public hearing, a bipartisan group of senators huddled Wednesday in the Capitol to negotiate new laws to prevent future candidates… Continue reading

Must-read Story from Reveal on True the Vote: “She Helped Create the Big Lie. Records Suggest She Turned It Into a Big Grift”

June 8, 2022, 7:59 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Read all of this by Cassandra Jaramillo of Reveal: Over the last two presidential election cycles, True the Vote has raised millions in donations with claims that it discovered tide-turning voter fraud. It’s promised to release its evidence. It never… Continue reading

“How South Dakota Voters Won a Power Struggle With G.O.P. Legislators”

June 8, 2022, 4:49 pmUncategorizedBallot InitiativesGuy Charles

Blake Hounshell wrote this piece for the NY Times. From the article: “Coming on the same night that voters in San Francisco ousted their lightning rod of a district attorney, Chesa Boudin — in what was widely interpreted as a… Continue reading

“Ill-fated DHS disinformation board pursued partnership with social-media platforms to censor content”

June 8, 2022, 4:38 pmUncategorizedDisinformation BoardGuy Charles

Stephen Dinan in the Washington Times. From the article: “The Department of Homeland Security’s ill-fated disinformation board would have been part of an effort to work with private social-media platforms to police their content, two senators revealed Wednesday, citing… Continue reading

The Supreme Court may take territories off the map of the US

June 8, 2022, 4:33 pmUncategorizedCitizenship; Territories; Insular CasesGuy Charles

Stephen Kinzer wrote this commentary the Boston Globe on the issues raised by Fitisemanu v. United States and the Petitioners’ request that the Court overrule the Insular Cases. From the piece: “May the United States rule foreign territories without granting… Continue reading

“Troy councilwoman pleads to federal criminal charge in ballot-fraud case”

June 8, 2022, 4:15 pmUncategorizedBallot FraudGuy Charles

Brendan Lyons for the Times Union. From the article: “A Troy councilwoman on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a felony criminal charge in U.S. District Court, becoming the first person snared in a federal grand jury investigation examining widespread ballot-fraud… Continue reading

“Massachusetts lawmakers unveil compromise voting rights bill”

June 8, 2022, 4:10 pmUncategorizedVoting rights; Mail-in ballots; Early voting; MassachusettsGuy Charles

Massachusetts inches closer to expanding voting rights. From the AP: “Mail-in ballots and early voting — popular options used to cast ballots in Massachusetts during the 2020 pandemic-era election — would become permanent features of the state’s political landscape under… Continue reading