Monthly Archives: February 2018

In Response to FEC Complaint by Common Cause, Trump’s Lawyer Michael Cohen Says He Paid $130,000 to Porn Star. Is There a Campaign Finance Violation?

February 14, 2018, 8:00 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Maggie Haberman for the NYT: Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, said on Tuesday that he had paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to a pornographic-film actress who had once claimed to have had an affair with… Continue reading

“Pa. congressional map stalemate edges closer to court-imposed deadline”

February 14, 2018, 7:44 amredistrictingRick Hasen

The latest on the Pa. redistricting battle.

“Supreme Court still feeling the impact of Antonin Scalia’s death”

February 14, 2018, 7:37 amScalia, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Great Joan Biskupic CNN report, which includes this nugget: Gorsuch’s tone during arguments can be haughty, which has sparked tensions, and he has bucked some institutional practices. He declined to attend a private session with the other justices soon after… Continue reading

“Former Cruz Campaign Manager Was Involved in Conduit Contribution Scheme”

February 14, 2018, 7:27 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

New from CREW.

“Experts launch PlanScore.org to allow citizens to evaluate redistricting schemes”

February 14, 2018, 7:25 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Release: PlanScore.org—a new website developed by redistricting experts and Silicon Valley coding experts— allows citizens to upload proposed state districting maps and instantaneously have them scored for partisan symmetry using three widely-accepted measures: the efficiency gap, partisan bias… Continue reading

“Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn”

February 14, 2018, 7:23 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Russia is already meddling in the midterm elections this year, the top American intelligence officials said on Tuesday, warning that Moscow is using a digital strategy to worsen the country’s political and social divisions. Russia is using fake accounts… Continue reading

“Keith Gaddie—Thinking About Gerrymandering”

February 14, 2018, 7:20 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Here’s a video of Keith giving a lecture at the University of Missouri Kinder Institute discussing whether partisanship is too unstable to measure for purposes of discerning partisan gerrrymandering.

Pennsylvania Governor Rejects Republican Legislative Leaders’ Proposed Districting Plan, Meaning Special Master Will Draw Congressional Districts

February 13, 2018, 9:00 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Gov. statement: Governor Tom Wolf today told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that he will not accept the proposed map Republican legislative leaders submitted because it, too, is a partisan gerrymander that does not comply with the court’s order or Pennsylvania’s… Continue reading

My New One at WaPo on the Second Anniversary of Justice Scalia’s Death: “Antonin Scalia’s disruption of the Supreme Court’s ways is here to stay”

February 13, 2018, 6:02 amScalia, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this piece for the Washington Post. A snippet: Scalia disrupted business as usual on the court just like Gingrich disrupted the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1990s and Trump is now disrupting the presidency. Scalia changed… Continue reading

“Fake News and Bots May Be Worrisome, but Their Political Power Is Overblown”

February 13, 2018, 6:00 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Brendan Nyhan for NYT’s The UpShot.

“Fights over voting rights a prelude to November midterm election”

February 13, 2018, 5:56 amfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

McClatchy with a voting wars curtain raiser. You are not going to want to miss some of the quotes in this article.

“The second most important election of 2018 is this June in Maine”

February 13, 2018, 5:52 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Lee Drutman for Vox: Some good news came out of Maine last week. Supporters of ranked-choice voting delivered more than 80,000 signatures on behalf of a statewide referendum, well over the 61,123 they needed to get the measure on the… Continue reading

David Brooks Says that Despite Structural Barriers, U.S. Could End Up with a Multi-Party System

February 13, 2018, 5:50 amalternative voting systems, third partiesRick Hasen

NYT column.

Texas Defends Its Lack of Latino Appellate Judges by Claiming It is All About Party, Not Race

February 12, 2018, 7:28 pmjudicial elections, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Courthouse News Service: “Since 1945, only five of the 76 justices to serve on the Supreme Court, a mere 6.6 percent, were Latino. During the same period, 69 of those 76 justices, or 89.5 percent, were white,” LUPE said in… Continue reading