Monthly Archives: March 2012

“Law and the President”

March 21, 2012, 5:34 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Rick Pildes reviews Posner and Vermeule in the Harvard Law Review. Here is the abstract: This article explores the extent to which law constrains the exercise of presidential power, in both domestic and foreign affairs. Since the start of the… Continue reading

“Elected Judges and Statutory Interpretation”

March 21, 2012, 5:30 pmjudicial elections, statutory interpretationRick Hasen

Aaron-Andrew Bruhl and Ethan Leib have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, University of Chicago Law Review). Here is the abstract: Ths Article considers whether differences in methods of judicial selection should influence how judges approach statutory interpretation. Courts and… Continue reading

“The GOP Assault on the Voting Rights Act”

March 21, 2012, 4:49 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ben Adler blogs for The Nation.

“Republicans, Democrats and Voter ID”

March 21, 2012, 4:48 pmelection administration, fraudulent fraud squad, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Warren Olney’s excellent “To the Point” show featured this segment. I had hoped to be on, but I had a teaching conflict. But a great line-up, and online resources. See below: Main Topic Republicans, Democrats and Voter ID (12:07PM)… Continue reading

Abramoff to Appear with Americans Elect Candidate Buddy Roemer on Campaign Finance Reform

March 21, 2012, 3:11 pmcampaign finance, chicanery, lobbyingRick Hasen

Part of the tour to restore Abramoff’s credibility (and continue to make money off lobbying, by talking about it, I suppose). It really strikes me a strange bedfellows, the three Musketeers of reform: Abramoff, Lessig, and Roemer. And the troubling … Continue reading

“DOJ to exempt Pinson; First city in Alabama released from voting rules”

March 21, 2012, 2:47 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

The Birmingham News now has a story which begins: “The city of Pinson is about to be free from U.S. Department of Justice oversight of its city elections, the first exemption from a key section of the Voting Rights Act… Continue reading

DOJ Wants to Delay Constitutional Voting Rights Issue in Texas Voter ID Case

March 21, 2012, 2:45 pmelection administration, Supreme Court, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

See here. A ruling from the three-judge court by mid-August would give just enough time for some emergency action at SCOTUS before the election through some kind of emergency stay or injunction. This would be coming while the Justices… Continue reading

“Brief of the Week: When AGs unite”

March 21, 2012, 2:40 pmbribery, chicanery, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

National Law Journal: “After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld bribery and “honest services” fraud convictions of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman last year, more than 100 former state attorneys generals decided to intervene.” My… Continue reading

“Political Disclosure Hits 100 Companies”

March 21, 2012, 1:36 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

The Center for Political Accountability has issued this press release.

“The Dimensions of Judicial Impartiality”

March 21, 2012, 12:36 pmconflict of interest laws, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Charles Geyh has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Scholars have traditionally analyzed judicial impartiality piecemeal, in disconnected debates on discrete topics. As a consequence, current understandings of judicial impartiality are balkanized and muddled. This article… Continue reading

Dept of Ad Hominem Attacks

March 21, 2012, 12:30 pmfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

So according to the post-Breitbart Big Government site, I attack Hans von Spakovsky’s tactics in drumming up voter fraud allegations in my Fraudulent Fraud Squad preview of my forthcoming book because von Spakovsky has a “name that sounds like… Continue reading

“Release of New Report: Loopholes for Sale”

March 21, 2012, 12:24 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

U.S. PIRG: ” A new report released Wednesday, March 21 by U.S. PIRG and Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) found that thirty unusually aggressive tax dodging corporations have made campaign contributions to 524 (98 percent) sitting members of Congress,… Continue reading

“Big-bucks donations to super PACs keep the GOP race going”

March 21, 2012, 11:09 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

USA Today reports.

“Senate Democrats Unveil Campaign Finance Disclosure Bill”

March 21, 2012, 10:41 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Roll Call: “A task force of Senate Democrats today introduced a stripped-down campaign finance disclosure bill, reviving legislation that fell one vote short of enactment in the previous Congress. Led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), the Senators also announced… Continue reading