Category Archives: Department of Justice

DOJ Will Not Prosecute Trump Officials After IG Referred Findings of False Testimony on Census

July 19, 2021, 8:00 amcensus litigation, Department of JusticeNed Foley

Government Executive reports. [UPDATE: this correction has been appended to the report: After publication of this story, the Justice Department and Commerce Department inspector general revealed additional information to indicate the declination to prosecute took place during the Trump administration.… Continue reading

“Will a pending Supreme Court case doom DOJ’s voting rights lawsuit before it begins?”

June 26, 2021, 12:12 pmDepartment of Justice, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ariane de Vogue for CNN: When Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before cameras Friday to announce a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s new voting restrictions, it was the timing and the Justice Department’s strategy that intrigued voting rights experts.That’s because the … Continue reading

Analysis: DOJ’s Savvy, Strategic, and Very Ambitious Complaint Against Georgia’s New Voting Law (Includes Link to Complaint)

June 25, 2021, 10:21 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

DOJ has now posted the complaint it has filed against the new Georgia voting law and it is a very calculated and strategic legal filing. Here are my initial thoughts: DOJ has authority to bring suit under Section 2 of… Continue reading

DOJ Memos on What It’s Doing on Voting Rights and in Georgia Case

June 25, 2021, 9:46 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

See releases here and here.

“Justice Department Is Suing Georgia Over Voter Suppression Law”

June 25, 2021, 7:27 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ari Berman: In its first major action to combat GOP voter suppression laws, the Biden Justice Department will announce on Friday that it is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting restrictions, a source familiar with the… Continue reading

“Trump Election Pressure Caused Senior Justice Official to Weigh Resigning”

June 22, 2021, 7:48 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

WSJ: John Demers, head of the Justice Department’s national security division, said the sole time in his three-year tenure he considered resigning came when the agency fell under pressure from then-President Donald Trump to pursue baseless claims of election fraud… Continue reading

“Biden has big fears about voting restrictions and finds few tools to deal with it”

June 18, 2021, 6:46 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Politico: The White House says it’s using every tool it has to draw attention to restrictive voting laws being passed in GOP-led states across the country, including potential legal challenges. Administration officials say Biden talks about attacks on voting access… Continue reading

“New emails detail Trump’s efforts to have Justice Department take up his false election-fraud claims”

June 16, 2021, 7:14 amchicanery, Department of Justice, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: President Donald Trump’s staff began sending emails to Jeffrey Rosen, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, asking him to embrace Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election at least 10 days before Rosen assumed the… Continue reading

“Garland announces expansion of Justice Department’s voting rights unit, vowing to scrutinize GOP-backed voting restrictions and ballot reviews”

June 13, 2021, 8:26 pmDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WaPo: Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged Friday to double the size of the Justice Department’s voting rights enforcement staff to combat efforts to restrict ballot access and prosecute those who threaten or harm election workers.In an expansive speech that… Continue reading

WaPo: Major Announcement on Voting Rights Coming from DOJ

June 10, 2021, 1:10 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: Democrats don’t have the votes to pass their marquee voting bill in the Senate. White House officials, having considered the obstacles they face on Capitol Hill, have focused on unilateral actions they can take as they face pressure… Continue reading

“Trump’s acting attorney general to affirm there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in 2020”

May 12, 2021, 6:55 amDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: The top Justice Department official at the time of the Jan 6. attack on the Capitol is expected to tell lawmakers on Wednesday that the department saw no evidence to undercut President Biden’s election win, even as Republicans continue… Continue reading

“US Justice Department worried about Arizona Senate recount”

May 6, 2021, 6:59 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

AP: The U.S. Department of Justice expressed concern Wednesday about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate’s unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County.In a letter to GOP Senate… Continue reading

“Matt Gaetz sparked William Barr to drop the F-bomb in a legal spat over Florida voting”

April 21, 2021, 1:20 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

Politico: Months before news broke that the feds were investigating him for sex trafficking, Rep. Matt Gaetz was at the center of a separate internal fight at the Justice Department. The sparring match involved an Oval Office meeting, a foul-mouthed… Continue reading

“Georgia voter limits take root amid weakened Justice Department”

March 31, 2021, 6:46 amDepartment of Justice, votingRick Hasen

John Kruzel and Rebecca Beitsch in The Hill: Biden said during the campaign he would “make voter protection a foundation of my administration” and added Friday that the White House and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are reviewing the… Continue reading