Monthly Archives: May 2018

“$1 million mystery gift to Trump inauguration traced to conservative legal activists”–And Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo in the Middle of It

May 14, 2018, 3:20 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Great sleuthing by Robert Maguire/Open Secrets: While the source of the money used to make the gift was masked from the public, a trail of clues puts the contribution at the doorstep of some of the same actors — most… Continue reading

“Politicos beware: Court ruling could prompt more transparent campaign spending”

May 14, 2018, 1:19 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

CPI: The Federal Election Commission could begin demanding more information about the vendors and consultants political committees pay, thanks to a federal appeals court decision Friday. The impact of the decision — which could have implications for how precisely political… Continue reading

John Gore Will Show Up Without a Subpoena to Explain DOJ’s Role in Census Citizenship Question

May 14, 2018, 1:16 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NPR reports.

“Florida to monitor Broward election chief after judge finds ‘unlawful’ ballot destruction in Wasserman Schultz race”

May 14, 2018, 7:49 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Mark Caputo for Politico: The elections supervisor in Florida’s second-most populous county broke state and federal law by unlawfully destroying ballots cast in Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s 2016 Democratic primary, a judge ruled Friday in a case brought by… Continue reading

Supreme Court, Without Noted Dissent, Denies Cert. in Holmes v. FEC Campaign Contributions Case

May 14, 2018, 7:43 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Order list. Here’s the unanimous DC Circuit opinion by Judge Srinivasian. The theory of this case always struck me as weak and odd.

“Va. election officials assigned 26 voters to the wrong district. It might’ve cost Democrats a pivotal race.”

May 14, 2018, 7:33 amelection administrationRick Hasen

WaPo: Last year’s race for state delegate in Newport News went down in Virginia history for its razor-thin margin. Republican David E. Yancey won on Election Day by 10 votes; Democrat Shelly Simonds beat him by a single vote in… Continue reading

“Russ Feingold and Ro Khanna: A new approach to big money in politics”

May 14, 2018, 7:29 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Concord Monitor oped: If McCain-Feingold was the campaign finance gold standard of its time, the Democracy Dollars Act is the boldest campaign finance proposal today. The act provides every registered voter 50 “Democracy Dollars” – $25 for presidential elections, $15… Continue reading

2016 Russian Facebook Election Ads Overwhelmingly About Race

May 13, 2018, 9:21 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

USA Today: The Russian company charged with orchestrating a wide-ranging effort to meddle in the 2016 presidential election overwhelmingly focused its barrage of social media advertising on what is arguably America’s rawest political division: race. The roughly 3,500 Facebook ads… Continue reading

“Sheldon Silver Is Convicted in 2nd Corruption Trial”

May 13, 2018, 9:15 pmbriberyRick Hasen

NYT: Sheldon Silver, the former powerful Democratic speaker of the New York State Assembly, was found guilty of federal corruption charges on Friday, less than a year after his first conviction on the same charges was thrown out…. Mr.… Continue reading

“The FPPC Chair Should Be Part-Time, Not Full-Time”

May 13, 2018, 9:13 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bob Stern: I made a mistake when drafting the Political Reform Act of 1974, Proposition 9 passed by 70% of California’s voters in June of 1974. When Dan Lowenstein, the chief drafter of the Act, and I worked together on… Continue reading

“They Served Their Time. Now They’re Fighting for Other Ex-Felons to Vote.”

May 11, 2018, 2:29 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

NYT reports.

Sen. Grassley: Trump and McConnell Would Push Through SCOTUS Nominee If Vacancy Opens in 2020, Ignoring McConnell’s “Biden Rule” for Judge Garland

May 11, 2018, 8:41 amSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Grassley suggests if there’s a SCOTUS vacancy in 2020, GOP will try to fill it with a Trump appointee – unlike in 2016 when McConnell kept it vacant, citing the election year https://t.co/rpEegogmb7 — Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 11, 2018

“Colorado’s secretary of state may not fit the Trump mold, but Democrats hope to capitalize on a left-leaning wave”

May 11, 2018, 8:37 amelection law bizRick Hasen

The Denver Post reports.

“Facebook is Banning Foreign Ad Buys Around an Irish Referendum. Could it Do the Same in the US?”

May 11, 2018, 8:33 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Corporate Counsel reports.

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