Monthly Archives: March 2013

Reformers Not Satisfied by OFA Fundraising Changes

March 7, 2013, 12:36 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Jim Messina CNN oped: “While Organizing for Action is a nonprofit social welfare organization that faces a lower disclosure threshold than a political campaign, we believe in being open and transparent. That’s why every donor who gives $250 or… Continue reading

“NYC Board Of Elections Workers Unearth Hundreds Of Uncounted 2012 Ballots”

March 7, 2013, 12:17 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

NYDN reports.

“Harry Reid Winks at Revisiting Filibuster Reform”

March 7, 2013, 12:12 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

TPM reports.

“In Supreme Court Debate on Voting Rights Act, a Dubious Use of Statistics”

March 7, 2013, 12:09 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Nate Silver: “As much as it pleases me to see statistical data introduced in the Supreme Court, the act of citing statistical factoids is not the same thing as drawing sound inferences from them. If I were the lawyer… Continue reading

“Justice Kennedy notes power shift to high court “

March 7, 2013, 12:06 pmpolitical polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Would love to see a transcript of a fuller version of these remarks.

“Rand Paul Does Not Go Quietly Into the Night”

March 6, 2013, 9:16 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

NYT’s The Caucus reports.

“Charity Takes Gun Lobby Closer to Its Quarry”

March 6, 2013, 9:07 pmconflict of interest laws, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: “On a Monday evening in early February, two months into a national debate over gun violence after the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, representatives of the firearms industry were wining and dining lawmakers in Washington.”

Linda Greenhouse on Shelby County Argument

March 6, 2013, 6:27 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Her Opinionator column concludes: The Roberts court stands on the brink of making an error of historic proportions. A needless and reckless aggrandizement of power in one case to satisfy the current majority’s agenda will erode the court’s authority over… Continue reading

“Senate Democrats Threaten To Reignite Filibuster Reform”

March 6, 2013, 6:01 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

TPM: “Senate Republicans have unleashed a string of filibusters since the rules reform deal, which did not change the 60-vote threshold, and was enacted in January. They include the first-ever filibuster of a secretary of defense nominee (Chuck Hagel),… Continue reading

“Voting Rights in Massachusetts and Mississippi”

March 6, 2013, 5:53 pmSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ilya Shapiro weighs in on the Chief Justice’s remarks in the Shelby County case, concluding: “To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Massachusetts is a hotbed of racism and should be subject to Section 5. Instead, I’m saying that Mississippi… Continue reading

“Chris Coons Plotting Legislative Response If Voting Rights Act Is Gutted”

March 6, 2013, 5:49 pmelection administration, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

HuffPo reports. I’ve advocated making contingency plans now, because I expect there to be a political opening for new voting rights legislation if the Court strikes section 5 in Shelby County. I think Republicans will be looking for a… Continue reading

“2013 Edition of Every Vote Equal: The case for the National Popular Vote Plan”

March 6, 2013, 5:46 pmelectoral collegeRick Hasen

FairVote: “This new edition features an expanded section addressing myths about the Electoral College and the National Popular Vote, with a wide-ranging information about recounts, the effects of extreme weather on elections, out-of-state presidential electors, and much, much more.… Continue reading

“Foreword: The State of the Republican Form of Government in Montana”

March 6, 2013, 4:29 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Anthony Johnstone has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Montana Law Review). Here is the abstract: This foreword situates Montana’s experience in broader themes of federal intervention in state republicanism. The foreword has two parts. Part I considers the recent… Continue reading