Monthly Archives: August 2018
Tom Hofeller: “Pioneer of modern redistricting dies at 75”
The Hill:
For more than four decades, when Republicans needed strategic advice drawing political boundaries, the party turned to a small cadre of expert cartographers, trained in the rare art of redistricting. At the heart of that group was Tom … Continue reading
“Exclusive: FBI probing cyber attack on congressional campaign in California – sources”–David Min Campaign
Reuters:
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a cyber attack on the congressional campaign of a Democratic candidate in California, according to three people close to the campaign.
The hackers successfully infiltrated the election campaign computer of David… Continue reading
Federal Court in California Denies Motion to Dismiss in Suit Challenging Citizenship Question on the Census
You can find the 29-page opinion here.
As Cristian Farias notes, this opinion goes further than the NY opinion, which had allowed claims under the Due Process Clause and under the Administrative Procedure Act to go forward.
This… Continue reading
Top Ten Law Faculty in Election Law by Scholarly Impact, 2013-2017 (Inclusive)
The latest Sisk et al study of scholarly impact and the work of Brian Leiter on scholarly rankings considers the scholarly impact of law school faculty based upon citations in law reviews. (I recently wrote about how my young… Continue reading
“Nations on All Continents are Spending Millions of Dollars Through Various Channels to Shape US Policies”
That’s the sub-headline on this piece at US News & World Report, which analyzes a database that Open Secrets.org has put together on money that foreign governments and their agents spend on lobbying in the US. These figures involve money… Continue reading
“NC GOP leader raises possibility of impeaching justices over amendment ruling”
News and Observer:
The state Republican Party executive director raised the possibility that state Supreme Court justices could be impeached if they ruled against legislative leaders in a lawsuit over constitutional amendments.
Dallas Woodhouse made the remarks at an… Continue reading
Sen. Bill Nelson Gets Four Pinocchios for Claims of Hacking into Florida Election System….But Maybe He Doesn’t Deserve It? [Updated]
WaPo:
Nelson and Rubio warned Florida election officials to be on high alert for Russian cyber-intrusions. We take no issue with their July 2 letter.
Nelson, however, went on to make a specific and alarming claim several times: that Russia… Continue reading
Chicago-Kent Law Review Publishes Symposium Issue on The Supreme Court and American Politics
Honored to have given the keynote here
There are some great pieces below.
Vol. 93, Issue 2
The Supreme Court and American Politics
SYMPOSIUM EDITORS
Christopher W. Schmidt
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Carolyn Shapiro
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law… Continue reading
Hey Chief Justice Roberts: Remember When You Said the Preclearance Provisions of the Voting Rights Act Were No Longer Needed in the South?
AP:
Civil rights advocates are objecting to a proposal to close about 75 percent of polling locations in a predominantly black south Georgia county.
The Randolph County elections board is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal that would… Continue reading
Big: Federal Court in Census Litigation Orders Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore Be Available for Deposition
The deposition will help sort out whether DOJ really wanted citizenship info to help bring (non-existent) Section 2 Voting Rights lawsuits or this was a pretext to give Wilbur Ross what he wanted for other nefarious reasons. Court order:
Given… Continue reading
“Ohio Republican officials lose bid to dismiss gerrymandering suit over congressional map”
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Three federal judges have rejected a request by Republican elected leaders in Ohio to dismiss a lawsuit that says the judges should toss out the state’s congressional district map because it’s gerrymandered.
Judges Karen Nelson Moore, Timothy… Continue reading
“Florida Officials Are Breaking The Law By Not Offering Spanish Ballots, Suit Claims”
HuffPo:
Nearly half of Florida’s counties are violating the Voting Rights Act by not offering Spanish-language ballots and other election materials to citizens, a suit filed in federal court Thursday alleges.
The lead plaintiff in the suit is Marta Rivera,… Continue reading
“‘Oh that’s cool — do that!’: Super PACs use new trick to hide donors”
Politico:
t wasn’t the first super PAC to pull that trick: The scheme is part of a sharp escalation in super PACs avoiding reporting requirements and keeping voters in the dark about their funding until after key elections. Two other… Continue reading