Monthly Archives: January 2017

Sen. Sessions Noncommittal on DOJ Position on Texas and North Carolina Voting Cases; Agrees to Enforce VRA Section 2

January 23, 2017, 8:06 pmDepartment of Justice, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Written questions from Sen. Leahy and Sen. Sessions’ answer in connection with his nomination as AG: 21. You claim to be a champion of the Voting Rights Act because you voted for VRA’s reauthorization in 2006. But aside from this… Continue reading

“Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting With Lawmakers”

January 23, 2017, 7:54 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump used his first official meeting with congressional leaders on Monday to falsely claim that millions of unauthorized immigrants had robbed him of a popular vote majority, a return to his obsession with the election’s results even as… Continue reading

No Word from Supreme Court in NC Racial Gerrymandering Case

January 23, 2017, 7:16 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Today’s Court orders contain no order related to North Carolina v. Covington, one of the North Carolina racial gerrymandering cases (and the case involving the special election for 2017 ordered by the district court and put on hold by the… Continue reading

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Texas Voter ID Case, But CJ Roberts Signals Review Likely Later

January 23, 2017, 7:10 amelection administration, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The Supreme Court declined to review the Texas voter id case today, but Chief Justice Roberts strongly signaled that the Court could well grant review when the case is fully complete in the lower court (and when, it is likely,… Continue reading

“Trump Promised to Resign From His Companies — But There’s No Record He’s Done So”

January 22, 2017, 7:58 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Pro Publica reports.

“Foreign Payments to Trump Firms Violate Constitution, Suit Will Claim”

January 22, 2017, 5:12 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Eric Lipton and Adam Liptak for the NYT: A team of prominent constitutional scholars, Supreme Court litigators and former White House ethics lawyers intends to file a lawsuit Monday morning alleging that President Trump is violating the Constitution by… Continue reading

“McCrory didn’t hand over social media keys to Cooper”

January 21, 2017, 5:47 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

WRAL: When former Gov. Pat McCrory turned over the keys to North Carolina’s Executive Mansion to Gov. Roy Cooper on Jan. 1, his staff didn’t include the keys to the social media accounts used by the Governor’s Office. The Republican’s… Continue reading

“Voting rights advocates seek to rein in Kansas election laws”

January 21, 2017, 5:28 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

AP reports.

“Voter fraud ‘test’ could backfire”

January 20, 2017, 4:57 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Martin Wisckol for the OC Register: Huntington Beach’s Chuck Burns grew concerned as he heard repeated — but mostly unsubstantiated — allegations of voter fraud last year. So once the November election was over, he decided to see how easy… Continue reading

It Begins: DOJ Asks for Extra Time in Texas Voter ID Case Because of Likely Change of Positions in Case

January 20, 2017, 2:10 pmDepartment of Justice, election administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

DOJ has filed this request for a one month extension of a hearing in the trial court hearing the latest round in the Texas voter id case. The motion, which is opposed by the private plaintiffs in the case but… Continue reading

In Opinion by #SCOTUS Shortlister J. Pryor, Court Strikes 12 Alabama Districts as Racial Gerrymanders, Partial Dissent by Judge Thompson

January 20, 2017, 12:34 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

In a 457 page opinion (including appendices) by Trump #SCOTUS shortlister William Pryor, a three-judge federal district court in the Alabama racial gerrymandering case has struck down 12 challenged Alabama districts as unconstitutional. Judge Myron Thompson, in a separate 120-page … Continue reading

“Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates”

January 19, 2017, 8:33 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul… Continue reading

“What happens now to Justice Dept.’s civil rights enforcement?”

January 19, 2017, 8:21 pmDepartment of Justice, Supreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WaPo: We spoke with Gupta on Wednesday morning, the last day in her fifth-floor Justice Department office, where pictures of Robert F. Kennedy and Frederick Douglass hung over her desk. The conversation started with the fight to protect voting rights,… Continue reading