Category Archives: campaigns

“Trial of Election Aide Could Hurt Bloomberg”

September 11, 2011, 8:06 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: But the defense argues that a crucial element will require an exploration of Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign spending habits and tactics. At issue is why the mayor paid for ballot security in such an indirect fashion: donating $1.2 million… Continue reading

“County clerk announces union donation to cover cost of satellite voting sites”

September 10, 2011, 1:36 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

The Indianapolis Star reports.

“GOP is sour on UAW’s satellite voting donation”

September 9, 2011, 1:14 pmcampaigns, election administrationRick Hasen

Fascinating issue: Can/should election officials take private donations to fund aspects of the voting process, aspects which may help the donors’ political cause?

“Wisconsin: Study says 95% of the TV ads were negative”

September 7, 2011, 4:38 pmcampaigns, recall electionsRick Hasen

This item appears at the Recall Elections Blog.

The End of Campaign Finance Law: Part II

September 7, 2011, 3:35 amcampaign finance, campaigns, political partiesMichael Kang, guest-blogger

Yesterday, in my first post of this series on my forthcoming article The End of Campaign Finance Law, 98 Va. L. Rev. (2012), I argued that Citizens United’s importance rests less on its direct impact on corporate electioneering than… Continue reading

The End of Campaign Finance Law

September 6, 2011, 3:03 ambribery, campaign finance, campaigns, federal election commission, lobbyingMichael Kang, guest-blogger

Many thanks to Rick Hasen for this opportunity to guest blog about my forthcoming article, The End of Campaign Finance Law, 98 Va. L. Rev. (2012). At Rick’s invitation, I’m writing a short series of posts this week that… Continue reading

“Elected officials notified of possible campaign fund fraud”

September 5, 2011, 10:57 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

The LA Times reports.

“Judges, Elections, and the American Mass Public: The Net Effects of Judicial Campaigns on the Legitimacy of Courts”

September 3, 2011, 4:11 pmcampaigns, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Jim Gibson has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: To what degree does the “new-style” of judicial campaigning undermine the legitimacy of state courts of last resort? Despite fears of catastrophic consequences from politicized campaigns, this paper… Continue reading

“Richmond Republicans and Democrats joined forces Thursday seeking to halt a revised state law that would leave unopposed candidates off the ballot this fall”

September 3, 2011, 4:09 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

The Indiana Law Blog reports.

“Wisconsin: Questions about legality of yard signs calling for recall of Governor”

September 2, 2011, 12:48 pmcampaigns, recall electionsRick Hasen

If such signs are illegal, I expect a court would find this law a violation of the First Amendment.

“Obama Ohio campaign mobilizes against election law”

August 31, 2011, 8:02 amcampaigns, election administrationRick Hasen

AP reports.

Read Carrigan’s Merits Brief on Remand to Nevada Supreme Court in the Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan Case

August 29, 2011, 5:33 pmcampaigns, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

It is here. [Disclosure: I consulted informally on this brief.]

“Reciprocity, Denial, and the Appearance of Impropriety: Why Self-Recusal Cannot Remedy the Influence of Campaign Contributions on Judges’ Decisions”

August 29, 2011, 7:02 amcampaign finance, campaigns, conflict of interest laws, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Tom Susman has posted this draft on SSRN (Journal of Law and Politics). Here is the abstract: The system of privately financed elections of judges in most states across the country has long been controversial, with both the scholarship and… Continue reading