The Anchorage Daily News reports on the final chapter of the Alaska Senate litigation, which has been fascinating on many levels.
And with that final news update of 2010, I wish all of ELB’s readers a very Happy New Year!

AP reports: “The Indiana Democratic Party is going to court with its challenge to Republican Charlie White’s election as secretary of state.”

USA Today offers this report.

The NY Times offers this editorial about the FEC.

AP reports from Alaska.

See here.

Jim Bopp and Zachary Kessler have written this piece for “Engage,” a Federalist Society magazine.

“The notion that this made-up controversy leads to a belief that this Justice Department is not color-blind in enforcement of civil rights laws is simply not supported by the facts… All I have on my side with regard to that is the facts and the law.”
–Attorney General Eric Holder, commenting on potential House Republican investigations of the New Black Panthers issue.

AP offers this report. AP also reports that “Alaska’s Legislature should consider changing election law to make clear that voter intent is what matters in counting write-in ballots, a state lawmaker said Wednesday.” This is particularly interesting to me, as I talk in The Democracy Canon about how the canon can serve as a “preference eliciting” mechanism—getting a state legislature to say when they do not agree with a judicial preference to construe certain statutes to favor voters. Here, the Legislature would be confirming agreement with such a judicial preference.

The Washington Post offers this report, which begins: “The Justice Department is investigating whether former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell violated federal law by diverting campaign funds for personal use, law enforcement sources said Wednesday. “

See here.
UPDATE: See also this order from the Supreme Court of Ohio with a very interesting concurring opinion expressing skepticism on the provisional ballots/equal protection issue.
Thanks to Michael Solimine for keeping me updated on this case and many other issues as well.

Michael Miller has posted this new working paper.

Watch here at C-SPAN.

Hearty congratulations to White House “ethics czar” Norm Eisen, who today received a a recess appointment to be U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic. His nomination had been the subject of a longstanding hold by Senator Grassley, and I recently speculated that a recess appointment could be in the works. This appointment will last only one year unless the Senate confirms him for the post.
I would write more, but I have a shaky Internet connection up in Mammoth right now. Way to go, Norm!