Category Archives: political parties

“Federal judge orders Utah and Republican Party to try to resolve election law lawsuit”

September 10, 2015, 9:04 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

AP: The disputed law, approved in 2014 by Utah’s GOP governor and Republican-dominated Legislature, allows candidates to bypass a caucus and convention system and instead try to become a party’s nominee by gathering signatures and participating in primary elections.… Continue reading

Sunstein Criticizes Lessig and Warren on Whether the System is “Rigged”

September 4, 2015, 5:57 pmcampaign finance, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Cass Sunstein: It is unquestionably true that money often distorts political outcomes, because it plays an intolerably large role in the political system. Warren, Sanders and Lessig are right to emphasize that moneyed interests sometimes block desirable action. As Nobel… Continue reading

“Could Donald Trump win the Republican presidential nomination?”

August 30, 2015, 6:43 pmpolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Sandy Levinson: The quick and dirty answer to the question is yes. And the reason has to do with the formal rules adopted by the Republican Party with regard to the allocation of delegates to the 2016 Convention, to… Continue reading

Two Law and Political Process Study Group Panels at APSA

August 30, 2015, 6:34 pmcampaign finance, political parties, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

We hope to see you there: Political Parties and Campaign Finance in the Post-Citizens United World Sat, September 5, 10:15am to 12:00pm, Hilton, Mason RoomSession Submission Type: Full Panel Session Description Political Parties and Campaign Finance in the Post-Citizens… Continue reading

“Since President Obama took office, 85 of 98 state legislative bodies got more Republican”

August 26, 2015, 9:23 pmlegislation and legislatures, political partiesRick Hasen

Amazing statistic.

“Trump Telling GOP Brass He Will Forgo A Third-Party Run: Sources”

August 26, 2015, 9:13 pmcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

HuffPo reports.

“If you want to understand Donald Trump, look to the success of the European far-right”

August 25, 2015, 4:12 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Matt Yglesias: In a 2014 paper, law professor David Schleicher observed that institutional differences between the US and Europe can end up obscuring underlying similarities in the development of party politics. Some countries have proportional electoral systems that are… Continue reading

“Ky. GOP rule change allows Paul to run for Senate amid his White House bid”

August 22, 2015, 6:24 pmcampaigns, political partiesRick Hasen

Weigel.

Movement to Ease California Top Two?

August 20, 2015, 12:30 pmalternative voting systems, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Richard Winger reporting from an event on top-two that I unfortunately had to miss because of teaching obligations: During the question period, Paula Lee, an activist in Californians for Electoral Reform, which advocates alternate voting systems such as proportional representation,… Continue reading

“Rand Paul Purchases a Path Around an Inconvenient Kentucky Law”

August 19, 2015, 8:04 amcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

The Atlantic: Over the weekend, the Kentucky senator said he gave $250,000 to his state’s Republican Party for the explicit purpose of funding its presidential caucus in March. He promised to pony up another $200,000 in the fall, enough… Continue reading

“The McCain-Feingold Act May Doom Itself”

August 16, 2015, 9:04 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, political parties, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this oped for the National Law Journal. It begins: Did the congressional drafters of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law build within it the seeds for its own destruction? Tucked within the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (the formal… Continue reading

“Louisiana Republican Party sues over campaign contribution limits to state political parties”

August 14, 2015, 8:38 amcampaign finance, political partiesRick Hasen

The Advocate reports. I’ll have more on this suit coming Monday. As for why the last suit was dropped: The Republican National Committee, along with the state party, sued the FEC last year over the same issue. But the RNC… Continue reading

“Election Law’s Path in the Roberts Court’s First Decade: A Sharp Right Turn But with Speed Bumps and Surprising Twists”

August 5, 2015, 6:25 amcampaign finance, election administration, political parties, redistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have posted this draft on SSRN. It is still an early draft. Comments welcome! Here is the abstract: The first decade of election law cases at the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Roberts brought election law… Continue reading

Bloomberg BNA on Republicans’ New Soft Money Suit

August 4, 2015, 8:39 pmcampaign finance, political partiesRick Hasen

Ken Doyle: [update: also here without a subscription] No Explanation of Timing The decision to renew the legal challenge to the BCRA soft-money limits on behalf of the Louisiana Republicans—but not the RNC—may reflect divisions within the party over… Continue reading