Category Archives: legislation and legislatures

“Goodbye, U.S. Senate”

April 7, 2017, 8:06 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Abbe Gluck with a great LA Times oped today, which concludes: Yes, Congress is more gridlocked and partisan than at any time in our history. Yes, the era of the “Schoolhouse Rock” legislative process is dead. But the answer… Continue reading

“Senate Republicans Deploy ‘Nuclear Option’ to Clear Path for Gorsuch”

April 7, 2017, 7:39 amlegislation and legislatures, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: Senate Republicans on Thursday engineered a dramatic change in how the chamber confirms Supreme Court nominations, bypassing a Democratic blockade of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch in a move that will most likely reshape both the Senate and the court.… Continue reading

“The filibuster was already doomed before the nuclear option vote”

April 6, 2017, 8:05 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Josh Chafetz in WaPo: But the truth is, there’s less to the theatrics than meets the eye. The filibuster for Supreme Court nominees was already dead — it just hadn’t stopped moving quite yet. Before Democrats vowed to filibuster Gorsuch’s… Continue reading

“Senate plunges toward historic rules change in Supreme Court standoff”

April 5, 2017, 7:50 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

WaPo: The Senate plowed Tuesday toward a historic and bitter showdown over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, with a parade of lawmakers taking to the Senate floor to deliver politically charged speeches for and against the president’s pick as a… Continue reading

“Senate Confirmation Strategies and Institutional Uniqueness”

April 4, 2017, 7:23 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Bauer blogs.

“Huefner’s Legislation and Regulation in a Nutshell”

March 21, 2017, 7:18 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

New book coming from the great Steve Huefner.

“Leashes Come Off Wall Street, Gun Sellers, Polluters and More”

March 5, 2017, 8:40 pmlegislation and legislatures, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: These are just a few of the more than 90 regulations that federal agencies and the Republican-controlled Congress have delayed, suspended or reversed in the month and a half since President Trump took office, according to a tally by… Continue reading

Would Any Prosecution of Sessions Be Barred by the Speech or Debate Clause?

March 2, 2017, 8:26 pmlegislation and legislatures, Speech or Debate ClauseRick Hasen

Putting aside whether perjury could be proven against AG Sessions, there’s another possible hurdle: the Speech or Debate Clause, which gives members of Congress immunity from criminal prosecution for certain legislative acts, for example a speech on the Senate… Continue reading

“Speech Ethics”

February 13, 2017, 7:16 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Bauer blogs.

Senate Goes Mini-Nuclear, Suspending Quorum Rules to Push Through Trump Nominees, Making Senate More Like House

February 1, 2017, 7:14 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

CNN: Senate Republicans took an extraordinary step Wednesday to move forward with two of President Donald Trump’s top Cabinet nominees after confronting a boycott from Democrats across the aisle. Republican lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee — the panel that… Continue reading

A Pivotal Moment for Senate Democrats

January 29, 2017, 4:58 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

This week (even with the potential for a Supreme Court nomination as soon as Monday), Senate Democrats will face a pivotal choice: will they work their remaining levers of power to protest President Trump’s policies and power? Even without a… Continue reading

“Lawmakers Racing to Fix Gaping Hole in Utah Election Law”

January 12, 2017, 9:05 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Utah Policy: A fight over Utah election law could roil the first few weeks of the 2017 Utah Legislature. Speculation is swirling that Rep. Chris Stewart could be named Secretary of the Air Force in the Donald Trump administration. If… Continue reading

“A House rules change you didn’t hear much about — and prosecutors won’t like”

January 5, 2017, 2:11 pmethics investigations, legislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Open Secrets: The Office of Congressional Ethics was saved from the landfill — where House Republicans had tried to bury it — by public outcry and a couple of tweets from President-elect Donald Trump. But few noticed a sentence… Continue reading