Monthly Archives: April 2019

“Disparate Impact, Unified Law”

April 25, 2019, 7:35 amUncategorizedKunal Dixit and Nicholas Stephanopoulos

My article on unifying disparate impact law has just come out in the Yale Law Journal. Here’s the abstract: The last decade has seen the largest wave of franchise restrictions since the dark days of Jim Crow. In response to… Continue reading

“Justice Department refuses to comply with congressional subpoena for testimony on citizenship question and 2020 Census”

April 25, 2019, 7:32 amcensus litigation, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: The Justice Department said Wednesday that it will not comply with a congressional subpoena for a Trump administration official to testify in a House panel’s investigation of the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.In a… Continue reading

“The Cybersecurity 202: Cybersecurity proposal pits cyber pros against campaign finance hawks”

April 25, 2019, 7:29 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

WaPo: The Federal Election Commission could decide today whether nonpartisan groups can offer political campaigns free cybersecurity services, an issue that has made bedfellows of Republicans and Democrats but divided cyber pros and campaign finance hawks.The proposal’s authors, Hillary… Continue reading

“Mueller report shows Trump campaign left itself wide open to Russians, officials say”

April 25, 2019, 7:23 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NBC News: The Mueller report’s narrative of secret meetings between members of Donald Trump’s orbit and Russian operatives — contacts that occurred both before and after the 2016 election — portrays a political campaign that left itself open to… Continue reading

“This Could Be One of Trump’s Biggest Political Victories”

April 25, 2019, 7:19 amcensus litigation, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Cristian Farias in the NYT: For all his talk about judges not being political actors beholden to a president, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and his conservative colleagues on the Supreme Court may hand President Trump one of the… Continue reading

“2020 Democrats confronting debate over letting felons vote”

April 25, 2019, 7:10 amfelon votingRick Hasen

AP reports.

E.J. Dionne: “Will Trump and the Supreme Court tear our democracy apart?”

April 24, 2019, 6:26 pmcensus litigation, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WaPo column: Our nation faces a constitutional conflagration, and President Trump is not the only actor willing to put personal and partisan interests above the preservation of our system of self-rule.Five conservative justices on the Supreme Court signaled clearly… Continue reading

“Unleashed by Citizens United: Energy, Utility Giants Poured $60 Million Into 2017 Campaigns”

April 24, 2019, 6:19 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Maplight: Unleashed by a 2010 Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to make unlimited political contributions, about three dozen of the nation’s largest energy and utility companies pumped almost $60 million into campaign committees, ballot measures, trade associations, and nonprofits… Continue reading

“Lawsuit: NRA Illegally Coordinated Up to $35 Million in Campaign Spending”

April 24, 2019, 6:17 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Release: Today, Campaign Legal Center Action (CLC Action) filed suit on behalf of Giffords against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to announce any action against the National Rifle Association (NRA) for using shell corporations to coordinate campaign spending… Continue reading

Ohio: “Secretary of State Frank LaRose, lawmakers to seek automated voter registration, other election reforms”

April 24, 2019, 6:14 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state lawmakers on Tuesday said they’re working on legislation to reform the state’s voting system – including automated voter registration and increasing the sharing of information between agencies to avoid voter… Continue reading

“Blockchain ballots? Pilot project in Denver will permit independent audit”

April 24, 2019, 6:12 pmelection administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

Steven Rosenfeld reports.

“The Census Case Will Define the Roberts Court”

April 24, 2019, 6:07 pmcensus litigation, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

David Gans for Slate.

DHS Looking at the Security of Ballot Marking Devices (BMDs)

April 24, 2019, 6:05 pmelection administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

Politico: DHS ON BMDs: DHS is scrutinizing the reliability of ballot-marking devices following a study from experts concluding that they cannot be reliably audited, Krebs also said Tuesday, but the department hasn’t come to a firm conclusion. “It’s part of… Continue reading