Category Archives: Election Meltdown

Brook Thomas: “Rule by Law Under a Flawed System to Elect a President”

December 20, 2020, 9:28 amElection Meltdown, electoral collegeRick Hasen

In the Dec 18, 2020, New Yorker, Steve Coll notes that the outdated 1887 Law of Electoral Count enables Trump’s allies to create more havoc when the joint session of Congress meets January 6, 2021, for the official count of… Continue reading

“Officials Alarmed Over Trump Talk of a Power Grab”

December 19, 2020, 5:41 pmchicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Political Wire: Jonathan Swan: “Senior Trump administration officials are increasingly alarmed that President Trump might unleash — and abuse — the power of government in an effort to overturn the clear result of the election.”“These officials tell me that… Continue reading

Watch Ned Foley at the Robert H. Jackson Center Talking About Our Most Recent Election and the Electoral College

December 17, 2020, 5:22 pmElection Meltdown, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Archived video.

“He Wanted to Count Every Vote in Philadelphia. His Party Had Other Ideas.”

December 17, 2020, 6:34 amelection law biz, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

NYT Mag profiles Philly’s Al Schmidt.

Expect a Final Dramatic Flourish From Wisconsin Before Electoral College Meets Monday as WI Supreme Court Ruling Looms (It Won’t Affect the Overall Election Outcome)

December 13, 2020, 5:19 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Yesterday the Wisconsin Supreme Court held a heated oral argument over Trump’s election contest. The arguments were at noon and heated, and now, less than 17 hours before the electoral college meets, there is not yet a decision. The Court… Continue reading

“It’s over. When the electoral college announces Biden’s win, Republicans must move on.”

December 13, 2020, 4:43 pmElection Meltdown, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Ned Foley WaPo oped: It’s over. At that point, the outcome can’t be changed. New electors can’t be appointed in any state, by legislatures or any other means. No time machine exists to undo the meetings of each state’s electors… Continue reading

Twenty Years After Bush v. Gore, America Has Learned the Key Wrong Lesson

December 12, 2020, 4:43 pmBush v. Gore reflections, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Bush v. Gore. On the case’s 10th anniversary, I remarked that perhaps the anniversary would go more unnoticed on the 20th anniversary than the 10th, as many students I teach now about the case… Continue reading

“‘The last wall’: How dozens of judges across the political spectrum rejected Trump’s efforts to overturn the election”

December 12, 2020, 3:41 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

WaPo: They are both elected and appointed, selected by Democrats and Republicans alike.Some have served for decades — while others took the bench only months ago.One is a former high school teacher, another the first Native American woman appointed to… Continue reading

“‘An Indelible Stain’: How the G.O.P. Tried to Topple a Pillar of Democracy”

December 12, 2020, 3:31 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Must-read NYT: The Supreme Court repudiation of President Trump’s desperate bid for a second term not only shredded his effort to overturn the will of voters: It also was a blunt rebuke to Republican leaders in Congress and the states… Continue reading

I Spoke to Diane Rehm for Her Podcast: “Is This The End Of Trump’s Fight To Overturn The Election?”

December 11, 2020, 5:36 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

You can listen here.

Breaking: Supreme Court, Sort of Unanimously, Rejects Texas’s Case, Ending Ridiculous, But Also Dangerous, Litigation. What’s Next?

December 11, 2020, 3:53 pmElection Meltdown, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The Supreme Court dismissed Texas’s bill of complaint in the latest high-profile case pushed by Trump allies in an attempt to overturn the results of the election. The Court did not issue an accompanying opinion. [Addendum: The court did say… Continue reading

Must-Read from Tom Goldstein: “Don’t just deny Texas’ original action. Decimate it.”

December 11, 2020, 11:10 amElection Meltdown, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Tom Goldstein at SCOTUSblog: Texas’ attempt to bring an original action challenging the election results in four states is not a serious legal claim in a legitimate procedural posture, for reasons that many people have already given and that I… Continue reading

Must-Read Adam Serwer: “If You Didn’t Vote for Trump, Your Vote Is Fraudulent”

December 11, 2020, 7:17 amElection Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

In The Atlantic: The Michigan protester’s declaration that Trump won the election (by a landslide, no less) falls into the same category. The majority of people who make such declarations understand that in fact, Trump did not win, that he… Continue reading

“Trump asks Pennsylvania House speaker for help overturning election results, personally intervening in a third state”

December 7, 2020, 5:50 pmElection Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: President Trump called the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives twice during the past week to make an extraordinary request for help reversing his loss in the state, reflecting a broadening pressure campaign by the president and his… Continue reading