Monthly Archives: March 2016

“New Reality Looms: Only a Friendly Senate Will Confirm Justices”

March 22, 2016, 7:44 ampolitical polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Carl Hulse for the NYT: The bitter impasse over the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland is raising a once unthinkable possibility: Presidents may no longer be confident of filling a Supreme Court vacancy unless their party controls the Senate.… Continue reading

“FEC Must Investigate and Sanction “Children of Israel LLC” for Evading Disclosure Laws”

March 22, 2016, 7:38 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: The Campaign Legal Center, a leading campaign finance watchdog, along with Democracy 21, today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), calling on the agency to investigate contributions to “the ghost corporation” “Children of Israel LLC,” which… Continue reading

“Trump’s Republican Turnout Boost Extends to Battleground States”

March 22, 2016, 7:37 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

WI Online Voter Registration Law Stops Community Voter Registration Drives

March 22, 2016, 7:36 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Project Vote: As expected, last week Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed an election bill into law. Significantly, the bill provides for online voter registration. But it comes at a high cost. That cost is not the money required to… Continue reading

“Trump warns he will run attack ads about Cubs owners”

March 22, 2016, 7:34 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Sports Illustrated reports.

“Why President Obama Has the Constitutional Power to Appoint—and Not Just Nominate—a Replacement for Justice Scalia”

March 22, 2016, 7:33 amSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Rob Kar and Jason Mazzone have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: After Justice Antonin Scalia’s recent death, politicians wasted no time before teeing up a political battle over his replacement. Republican Senators—led by Senate Majority Leader… Continue reading

“Hillary Clinton’s Backers Prepare General Election Ad Blitz”

March 22, 2016, 7:31 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: The “super PAC” supporting Hillary Clinton is preparing to reserve roughly $70 million in television ads to begin after the Democratic National Convention and to run through the fall general election in important battleground states such as Ohio and… Continue reading

“Colorado firm tied to super PAC operative was a top Trump vendor last month”

March 22, 2016, 7:29 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Donald Trump’s campaign has paid more than $1.2 million to a small Colorado printing firm connected to a Republican operative who ran a short-lived super PAC in support of Trump — shelling out $624,000 to the company just… Continue reading

“Vermont Campaign finance battles continue in court”

March 21, 2016, 8:58 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Burlington Free Press: Sixteen months after Progressive/Democrat Dean Corren lost his bid for lieutenant governor, he and the Attorney General’s Office still are embroiled in a double-barreled court fight over whether Corren violated Vermont’s campaign finance law. The case… Continue reading

“A Pivotal Moment for Election Law”

March 21, 2016, 8:54 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Josh Douglas has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In this Forward to the Kentucky Law Journal Symposium Issue on Election Law, I chronicle the importance of Justice Scalia’s death to election law jurisprudence and explain how… Continue reading

More on the #SCOTUS Oral Argument in Virginia Congressional Redistricting Case

March 21, 2016, 8:49 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have now had a chance to review the transcript in Wittman v. Personhuballah, and I agree with other commentators that it seems very likely that the Republican intervenors is likely to fail. It appears that the four Court… Continue reading