Monthly Archives: August 2014

“Overrides: The Super Study”

August 28, 2014, 9:25 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Victoria Nourse on Christiansen & Eskridge: Overrides should be of interest to a far larger group of scholars than statutory interpretation enthusiasts. We have, in overrides, open inter branch encounters between Congress and the Courts far more typically found in… Continue reading

“Study: Citizens United Elected More Republicans”

August 28, 2014, 9:24 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Reid Wilson for WaPo on Tilman Klumpp of the University of Alberta, Hugo Mialon of Emory University and Michael Williams of Competition Economics, “The Business of American Democracy: Citizens United, Independent Spending and Elections.”

“What if Alabama elected multiple congressmen per district? A radical reform proposal”

August 28, 2014, 8:34 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

See here.

In the Election Law Mailbag

August 28, 2014, 8:30 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Eric H. Kearney, Pavan V. Parkh and Bethany E. Sanders, Perfect is the Enemy of the Fair: An Analysis of Election Day Error in Ohio’s 2012 General Election Through a Discussion of the Materialaity Principle, Compliance Standards, and the Democracy… Continue reading

“Attack ads have their plus sides”

August 28, 2014, 8:01 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Peter Schuck WaPo oped.

“Color by Numbers: The New Misreading of the Voting Rights Act”

August 28, 2014, 7:59 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Justin Levitt has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The role of race in the apportionment of political power is one of the thorniest problems at the heart of American democracy, and poised to once again take… Continue reading

Gov. Christie Attacks Same-Day Voter Registration in Illinois

August 27, 2014, 3:30 pmballot access, voter registrationRick Hasen

He also comments on some ballot access decisions: “He will try every trick in the book,” Christie said of Quinn. “I see the stuff that’s going on. Same-day registration all of a sudden this year comes to Illinois. Shocking,” he… Continue reading

“Former Fattah Aide Pleads Guilty in Campaign Fraud (Updated)”

August 27, 2014, 2:56 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Roll Call reports.

Interesting 9th Circuit Panel Draw in Guam Racial Voting Case

August 27, 2014, 2:10 pmvotingRick Hasen

Following up on this post, the Ninth Circuit panel hearing the Guam case is Chief J. Kozinski, Judge Schroeder, and Judge Randy Smith. I think at least Kozinski and Smith will be skeptical of the Guam-based law. This report from … Continue reading

Another Shoe to Drop in Iowa Payment for Endorsement Investigation?

August 27, 2014, 1:23 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Russ Choma: Neither Lori Pyeatt, Ron Paul’s granddaughter and the treasurer of his 2012 presidential campaign, nor Jesse Benton, who was Paul’s campaign manager (and is now manager of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s re-election campaign), had responded to… Continue reading

“TV Station Pulls Anti-Shaheen Ads Off Air”

August 27, 2014, 1:04 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

AP: A super PAC’s negative ads against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen were pulled off the air Wednesday after the New Hampshire Democrat’s attorneys flagged inaccuracies in the spot. Ending Spending Action Fund, a conservative outside group, claimed in ads that… Continue reading

“Navigating Election and Political Law: Leading Lawyers on Understanding Campaign Finance, Speech, Voting Rights, and the Laws that Govern (Inside the Minds)”

August 27, 2014, 12:59 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Looks like an interesting new book for election law practitioners with some top notch contributors: Navigating Election and Political Law provides an authoritative, insider’s perspective on the dynamics of the federal and state laws governing political contributions and spending,… Continue reading

Walter Shapiro and Larry Lessig Square Off over MayDay PAC

August 27, 2014, 11:29 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Shapiro: The PAC to End All PACs is a Farce Lessig: On the State of the “Farce”

More on Texas’s Argument DOJ Too Partisan to Enforce Voting Rights Act

August 27, 2014, 11:09 amDepartment of Justice, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

In an earlier post, I noted this filing of the state of Texas in the voter id case (particularly pages 13-23), raising an affirmative defense to DOJ’s claims that Texas’s voter id law violates section 2 of the Voting Rights… Continue reading