Category Archives: chicanery

Michigan Supreme Court, in Case Against Burkman and Wohl, Holds It Is Constitutional to Punish Intentional Lies About When, Where, or How People Vote (Relevant Also to Pending Mackey Case)

June 17, 2024, 9:34 amcheap speech, chicanery, First Amendment theoryRick Hasen

I have been arguing that it does not violate the First Amendment to make it a crime to intentionally lie about when, where or how people vote. The Supreme Court suggested as much in the Mansky case in 2018. I… Continue reading

“Mini Madoff” gets 18 months for fake Super PAC (and credit card fraud)

June 15, 2024, 7:46 amcampaign finance, chicaneryJustin Levitt

Christopher Richardson was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in March in the Americans for Progressive Action affair. Sentences for campaign finance fraud charges seem to be of interest lately.

House Judiciary on Manhattan DA and Trump prosecution

June 13, 2024, 1:54 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryTrump prosecutionJustin Levitt

The House Judiciary committee held a hearing this morning on the NY case against Donald Trump, with a witness list including FEC Commissioner Trey Trainor, as well as Missouri AG Andrew Bailey, Ambassador Norm Eisen, and Elizabeth Price Foley. Testimony … Continue reading

“U.S. spy agencies are ready to warn voters about foreign election interference — if it’s severe enough”

June 13, 2024, 7:41 amcheap speech, chicanery, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

An excerpt from the NBC report: U.S. intelligence agencies are closely tracking attempts by foreign adversaries to influence the 2024 election through “deepfakes” or other false information and are ready to alert the public if necessary, officials said Wednesday.… Continue reading

“2020’s ‘fake elector’ schemes will be harder to try in 2024 – but not impossible”

June 12, 2024, 7:27 amchicaneryJanuary 6, The Big LieJustin Levitt

Derek Muller, for The Conversation, recounts some of the ways that both the law and enforcement have changed in the last four years. Speaking of which, Wisconsin Public Radio reports that an attorney charged last week in the Wisconsin false-elector… Continue reading

“Cheap fakes”

June 12, 2024, 7:22 amcheap speech, chicaneryJustin Levitt

Deceptive selective editing has been around a whole lot longer than credible deepfakes. (Cf. Sasha Issenberg’s recent conversation with Chris Hayes on MDM and its responses.)

“Fake Donations Helped a Candidate Get $162,000 From Taxpayers”

June 11, 2024, 5:21 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryJustin Levitt

The N.Y. Times with the report on matching funds in a state Assembly race that’s something of an outlier: The report also contrasts the state system with the city’s system: For years, government watchdogs had urged state leaders to adopt… Continue reading

Update on the DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force

June 10, 2024, 7:47 amcheap speech, chicanery, Department of Justice, election administration, votingJustin Levitt

States Newsroom with a states’-eye view on the federal efforts. Despite 17 charges to date, and hefty sentences in some of those cases, the wheels of justice necessarily turn slowly. And election officials are also not thrilled about the… Continue reading

North Carolina: “Surprise GOP campaign finance law proposal prompts walkout by Democratic senators”

June 8, 2024, 1:07 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NC Newsline: in a surprise move that caught most Legislative Building watchers off-guard, Republican lawmakers unveiled legislation on Thursday that would make significant changes to state campaign finance law. The sudden move prompted all 20 Senate Democrats to walk out… Continue reading

“‘Swindlers,’ ‘Hijacking,’ and ‘Blackmail’; Inside the Kennedy campaign’s Natural Law Party meltdown in Florida.”

June 6, 2024, 4:32 pmballot access, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read Marc Caputo: AMID VOTER DISENCHANTMENT with a Trump-Biden rematch, third-party activist Joseph Wendt believed 2024 could transform American politics. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be the candidate to do it. “It seemed this was the Year of the… Continue reading

“The G.O.P. Push for Post-Verdict Payback: ‘Fight Fire With Fire’”

June 5, 2024, 7:00 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: Republican allies of Donald J. Trump are calling for revenge prosecutions and other retaliatory measures against Democrats in response to his felony conviction in New York. Within hours of a jury finding Mr. Trump guilty last week, the anger… Continue reading

“Cracks emerge in Michigan’s criminal cases against false Trump electors”

June 5, 2024, 6:54 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Detroit News: The Michigan attorney general’s cases against 15 Republicans whose names appeared on a certificate falsely claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 election could be in jeopardy as prosecutors have struggled to supply evidence to back up charges that… Continue reading

“Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul charges former Trump associates in fake elector scheme”

June 4, 2024, 7:38 amchicanery, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Molly Beck for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has filed felony forgery charges against an aide and two attorneys who worked for former President Donald Trump in 2020 for their part in designing and executing a… Continue reading

“Intelligence chairman says US may be less prepared for election threats than it was four years ago”

June 4, 2024, 7:00 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: With only five months before voters head to the polls, the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation aimed at influencing voters and undermining democracy than it was before the 2020 election, the leader of the Senate Intelligence… Continue reading