Monthly Archives: January 2018

Justice Alito (Belatedly) Calls for Response in PA Congressional Gerrymandering Case

January 29, 2018, 2:16 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

After a strange period of delay which I thought signaled a denial of a stay was coming in this case, Justice Alito has requested a response in this case, due Friday Feb. 2 at 4 pm. (The petitioner Republican legislators… Continue reading

“The Coming Storm? Hush Money and the Federal Election Campaign Act”–On Trump at That $130K to Stormy Daniels

January 29, 2018, 1:13 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Important analysis by Thomas Frampton at the Harvard Law Review blog: In August 2016, federal law enforcement and intelligence officials were alerted to an unsettling possibility: then-candidate Trump’s personal indiscretions might leave him susceptible to the threat of Russian blackmail… Continue reading

Crosscheck Watch: “Eighth State Quietly Quit Free Anti-Voter-Fraud Program Over Security Concerns and ‘Unreliable’ Results”

January 29, 2018, 12:28 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Gizmodo: The State of Kentucky has pulled out of the Interstate Crosscheck System, Gizmodo has learned, making it the eighth state to quit the program so far—even though it cost nothing to participate. A source with direct knowledge of the… Continue reading

“Common Cause Files & Coordinates Bipartisan Amici in Landmark Supreme Court Challenge to Maryland Democrats’ Partisan Gerrymander”

January 29, 2018, 12:27 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Release: Today, Common Cause joined an ideologically diverse group of governors, members of Congress, local government leaders, and others in filing amicus briefs urging the Supreme Court to put an end to partisan gerrymandering. On March 28, the Court will… Continue reading

Republican Party Funds Amicus Brief of Six Republican Secretaries of State (Including AL SOS John Merrill) Seeking to Stop Pennsylvania Redistricting Ordered by State Supreme Court to Cure Partisan Gerrymandering

January 29, 2018, 12:09 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Great find from Richard Winger: The Secretaries of State of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina have filed this amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in the Pennsylvania U.S. House lawsuit over partisan gerrymandering. This… Continue reading

House Democrats Want Trey Gowdy to Issue Subpoena to DHS to Reveal Data on Attempted Russian Cyberhacking of 2016 Election Systems

January 29, 2018, 10:09 amchicanery, election administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Letter.

“North Carolina Mismanaged Itself Into Electoral Chaos”

January 29, 2018, 10:06 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Bloomberg Businessweek: What sets North Carolina apart, though, is the breadth of institutions that have been thrown against a wall. As the state prepares for 2018 campaign filing deadlines in February, congressional and Statehouse maps and even the district boundaries… Continue reading

“When a T-Shirt Gets You in Trouble at the Voting Booth”

January 29, 2018, 7:32 amcampaigns, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Love the kicker on this new Adam Liptak Sidebar column on the Minn. political apparel case: Similar problems have arisen in the Supreme Court’s backyard. A few years ago, I saw a court police officer order a man… Continue reading

“Small Donor Percentage Dropped in NYC, Raising ‘Warning Flags’ About a System that ‘Set the Standard'”

January 29, 2018, 7:16 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Malbin testimony.

“Draining the swamp? D.C. lobbying during Trump administration surges to highest level in 7 years”

January 29, 2018, 7:14 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for USA Today.

Pa: “Governor Wolf to Enlist Non-Partisan Mathematician to Evaluate Fairness of Redistricting Maps”

January 28, 2018, 12:38 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Release: Governor Wolf today announced he will enlist a non-partisan mathematician, Moon Duchin, Ph.D. an Associate Professor of Mathematics from Tufts University, to provide him guidance on evaluating redistricting maps for fairness. Governor Wolf has made clear since the Supreme… Continue reading

Justice Alito Has Not Yet Acted on Pa. Congressional Gerrymandering Stay Request from Pa. Legislative Republicans. Why?

January 28, 2018, 10:39 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Republicans sought to stop a Pa Supreme Court order requiring that the state’s congressional districts be redrawn because they violate the state Constitution. The claim to the United States Supreme Court is an extreme long shot because… Continue reading

“Former Colorado GOP chairman sentenced for voter fraud”

January 28, 2018, 10:22 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

CBS News: The former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party was sentenced to four years of probation and 300 hours of community service for voter fraud. Steve Curtis blamed a “major diabetic episode” for causing him to vote his ex-wife’s… Continue reading

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