Monthly Archives: April 2016

“Time to Brush Up on Campaign Finance Laws”

April 11, 2016, 7:48 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

George Terwilliger for the NLJ: The intersection of business and politics is a legal minefield. The risks to businesses are only magnified as both corporate political activity and enforcement scrutiny gain steam in the intensifying U.S. political season. A brief… Continue reading

“Suit Challenging Cruz Eligibility Reaches Supreme Court”

April 11, 2016, 7:45 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Pete Williams reports for NBC News.

“Despite Complaints, Delegate System Has Given Trump a 22 Percent Bonus”

April 11, 2016, 7:43 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Ari Melber for NBC News: Donald Trump blasted the GOP’s delegate rules Sunday, saying a “corrupt” system is denying him delegates in states he won. According to a new NBC analysis, however, Trump has benefited far more than Ted Cruz… Continue reading

“Did Act 10 affect spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court race?”

April 11, 2016, 7:41 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Jason Stein for the Journal-Sentinel: In Tuesday’s election, labor-backed candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg lost a race for the Supreme Court in which her side in the contest was badly outspent. The Greater Wisconsin Committee, the liberal group backing Kloppenburg, spent less… Continue reading

“Citizens United Court Case Was A Fight Against Censorship, Bossie Says”

April 11, 2016, 7:40 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Steve Inskeep of NPR’s Morning Edition talks to David Bossie of Citizens United. I demand equal time!

“Registering to vote holds challenges for college students”

April 11, 2016, 7:37 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Long lines at polling places on several college campuses during last week’s primary election had at least one thing in common: students who waited until the last minute to register to vote. Due to new voting laws in… Continue reading

“State Online Voter Registration Systems”

April 11, 2016, 7:36 amelection administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

Now live at Pew: an interactive look at how states implemented and offer online voter registration. The tool tracks which states offer online registration and summarizes our survey findings across five topics: legislation, development, features, access, and processing.

“Republicans Hijack an Election Agency”

April 11, 2016, 7:33 amelection administration, Election Assistance Commission, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT editorial: Mr. Newby’s defense of his action is hard to take seriously. He said that his reversal of the commission’s precedent was merely an administrative fix and therefore did not need a vote of the commissioners. In February, several… Continue reading

“CREW’s Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock”

April 11, 2016, 7:30 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bloomberg: For more than a decade, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, has scrutinized and assailed federal agencies and politicians from both parties to root out unethical behavior in government. Over the past two years, however,… Continue reading

“A Hamstrung SCOTUS Is About To Have A Mess Of Voting Lawsuits At Its Doorstep”

April 11, 2016, 7:26 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Tierney Sneed for TPM.

“Panama Papers Show How Everyone from Terrorists to Your Cat Could Funnel Money into U.S. Elections”

April 11, 2016, 7:24 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Brendan Fischer for CLC: Terrorists, Russian oligarchs, and even cats could find a way to funnel money into U.S. elections, thanks to lax U.S. rules for shell corporations and a deadlocked Federal Election Commission (FEC) that refuses to enforce the… Continue reading

“Lobbying and the Petition Clause”

April 11, 2016, 7:20 amlobbying, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Maggie McKinley has posted this very interesting draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Stanford Law Review). Here is the abstract: Contrary to popular opinion, the Supreme Court has not yet resolved whether lobbying is constitutionally protected. Belying this fact, courts, Congress, and… Continue reading

Shocker: Kobach Botches Spanish Language Voting Materials

April 11, 2016, 7:18 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

KC Star: Spanish-language voter guides distributed by the Kansas secretary of state’s office did not match the English-language version and contained errors that could have resulted in people being unable to register and vote. The errors added fuel to… Continue reading

“Donald Trump Aide Accuses Ted Cruz’s Campaign of ‘Gestapo’ Tactics”

April 10, 2016, 8:12 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Donald J. Trump’s new convention manager accused Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign on Sunday of employing “Gestapo” delegate-wrangling tactics and said Mr. Trump still had several paths to winning the nomination before the July convention. The remarks from Paul… Continue reading