Category Archives: Supreme Court

Supreme Court Might Not Hear North Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Case Until Next Term, Meaning Possible Decision in June 2020, and Potentially Leaving NC Districts in Place for 2020 Elections and Perhaps Rendering Case Moot

December 12, 2018, 9:08 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

So predicts key Court watcher John Elwood: My instinct is Court won't act before 1/4 conference. I suspect they'll reschedule until late January, so argument would come next fall. I doubt John Roberts wants to revisit an issue that flummoxed… Continue reading

Breaking: Supreme Court Declines to Hear Austin, Texas Low Campaign Contributions Case, Takes No Action on North Carolina Gerrymandering Petition

December 10, 2018, 6:49 amcampaign finance, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

With no noted dissent, the Supreme Court has turned down a cert. petition in the Zimmerman campaign finance case from Austin Texas. I flagged this case (along with a Montana case that the Court will consider taking up in January)… Continue reading

“Supreme Court discussing partisan gerrymandering behind closed doors Friday”

December 7, 2018, 8:32 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Ariane de Vogue for CNN.

Maryland: “New partisan gerrymander case reaches Justices”

December 3, 2018, 3:44 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Lyle Denniston: Arguing that a state should not have to re-draw its congressional districts twice in a short time span, Maryland officials asked the Supreme Court on Monday to rule that the existing map can be used again in… Continue reading

Supreme Court Will Consider Whether to Take Major Montana Campaign Contributions Case at Its January 4 Conference, A Case Which Could Pave the Way for Killing Federal Campaign Contribution Limits

November 30, 2018, 11:30 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

According to the docket. It could also be when the Court considers whether to take the Austin campaign finance case. As I wrote in Slate back in September: As Common Cause’s Steve Spaulding notes, “Kavanaugh himself acknowledges in the… Continue reading

Justice Kennedy Stands By the Correctness of His Citizens United Opinion

November 28, 2018, 1:10 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NLJ: When asked if, in the wake of the huge influx of money into elections, he had any regrets about his majority opinion in Citizens United v. FEC, he said the decision “stands for itself.” “It’s true there’s a problem… Continue reading

Justice Stevens Tags Citizens United, Bush v. Gore as Two of Three “Grave Errors” of Supreme Court During His Time There

November 26, 2018, 7:07 amBush v. Gore reflections, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

In interview with Adam Liptak: The court’s “second-biggest error,” Justice Stevens said, was the Citizens United campaign finance decision. “Money in politics — it’s hard to believe the extent of it,” he said. The third-biggest mistake, he said, was … Continue reading

Coalition of Minor Parties, Idaho Republican Party File Amicus Brief Supporting Cert. Grant in Utah Political Party Rights Case; Senators Lee and Cruz, Reps. Labrador and Bishop File Another

November 21, 2018, 5:41 pmpolitical parties, primaries, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Here is the minor party brief. Here is the Lee/Cruz brief. My earlier coverage is here, where I suggest this would be a very interesting case for the Court to hear.

Amanda Frost Comments on My Forthcoming “Polarization and the Judiciary” Paper

November 14, 2018, 7:22 ampolitical polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Amanda Frost at SCOTUSBlog: Common sense tells us that increased political polarization affects the U.S. Supreme Court as well as the political branches, and now legal scholars have the data to prove it. In a forthcoming paper, “Polarization and … Continue reading

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Bethune-Hill Racial Gerrymandering Case Again from Virginia, Raises Question About Standing

November 13, 2018, 7:10 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

From today’s order list: APPEAL — JURISDICTION POSTPONED 18-281 VA HOUSE OF DELEGATES, ET AL. V. GOLDEN BETHUNE-HILL, ET AL. Further consideration of the question of jurisdiction is postponed to the hearing of the case on the merits. In… Continue reading

Joan Biskupic: Justice Kavanaugh Laying Low (So Far)

November 11, 2018, 12:44 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Interesting read.

Breaking: Three Judge Federal Court Unanimously Strikes Maryland Congressional District as Partisan Gerrymander

November 7, 2018, 10:56 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The judges considered two First Amendment-based theories: all three joined in one of the theories, and two in the other. This will go on direct appeal to the Supreme Court, in a case with an opinion written by a well… Continue reading

Common Cause Files Supreme Court Brief Seeking Affirmance in North Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Case

November 2, 2018, 3:38 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Read it here.

North Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Opponents File Supreme Court Motion to Affirm in Rucho Case

November 1, 2018, 7:57 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

You can find the document here. I believe it is almost certain the Court will set the case for argument (and I think chances of an affirmance are low with Justice Kavanaugh now on the Court, but we will… Continue reading

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