Sad News: Elections Expert Bob Pastor Has Died
Here is the AP obituary.
Pastor was the driving force behind the Carter-Baker commission.
Condolences to his family and friends.
Category Archives: election law biz
Final Push for New AALS Section on Election Law
Josh Douglas emails:
Dear Fellow Election Law Professors,
We are making our final push on petitioning for the creation of a new AALS Section on Election Law. We had a good turnout at the Open Session during the AALS Annual… Continue reading
Breaking: Pam Karlan to DOJ
Huge news from Jeffrey Toobin: “Confirmed by DOJ: Noted voting rights expert and Stanford prof Pamela Karlan to join Obama admin as Dep Asst AG for voting rights. #scotus”
MORE from Josh Gerstein.
December 2013 Issue of NCSL’s “The Canvass” Now Available
You can read it here.
It includes a Dick Smolka obituary.
Election Law Journal 12:4 — The Law of Deliberative Democracy
The new issue of Election Law Journal is now out. It features a symposium on the Law of Deliberative Democracy, guest co-edited by Ron Levy and Graeme Orr. The table of contents appears below:
The Party Line: Crossing Boundaries,… Continue reading
“Long Division: Measuring the polarization of American politics.”
Jill Lepore in the New Yorker:
The study of government, like the government itself, is in a tight spot. In 2009, during a vote on a House appropriations bill, Tom Coburn, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, tried to abolish the… Continue reading
“Michigan dean’s possible Congress run comes with risks”
Jack Lessenberry:
There’s no doubt that Jocelyn Benson has a stunning record of accomplishment — or that she is one of the potentially hottest political properties in Michigan.
Three years ago, she lost a race for secretary of state… Continue reading
‘IN MEMORIAM: Richard G. “Dick” Smolka, Pioneering Election Expert”
From Doug Chapin:
IN MEMORIAM: Richard G. “Dick” Smolka, Pioneering Election Expert
By Doug Chapin on November 6, 2013
[Image courtesy of dfmassociates]
I got some sad news via email this evening … Dick Smolka passed away on Tuesday… Continue reading
“Wiley Rein Seeks $2M in Fees in Voting Rights Case”
BLT:
The lawyers who successfully challenged the Voting Rights Act before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year are seeking $2 million in legal fees from the federal government.
U.S. Department of Justice lawyers and attorneys from Wiley Rein,… Continue reading
Lots of Election Law Folks Elected to American Law Institute
Congratulations to: Jan Baran, Mark Braden, Guy Charles, Kevin Hamilton, Steve Huefner, Nate Persily, Rick Pildes, and Trevor Potter.
Jessica Levinson Named as LA City Ethics Commissioner
“Judicial Watch Announces New Team Member Robert D. Popper”
Press release: “Judicial Watch announced today its newest team member, attorney Robert D. Popper. As Deputy Chief of the Voting Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ), he led complex litigations involving the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter… Continue reading
Lois Lerner Retires from IRS
Politico reports.
A Democratic congressional aide said the IRS was moving toward terminating Lerner after completing an investigation into her role in the targeting controversy.
The IRS found that Lerner mismanaged her department and was “neglectful of duty” but… Continue reading