Monthly Archives: January 2022

“Yelling, accusations of bullying turn Michigan redistricting meeting into chaos”

January 28, 2022, 7:17 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Detroit Free Press: A Thursday meeting of Michigan’s redistricting commission saw accusations of bullying, yelling, a failed censure vote against the group’s chair and a public apology for the tense exchanges that came as the group stares down … Continue reading

“Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement”

January 27, 2022, 11:58 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new boundaries for state Senate… Continue reading

Feb. 2 Event: “How America’s Electoral System Benefits Authoritarianism, and How We Can Fix it”

January 27, 2022, 10:27 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Registration details: Join Protect Democracy, Unite America, and R Street on Wednesday, February 2 at 12:00pm ET/ 9:00am PT for a discussion panel on how features of the U.S. electoral system are exacerbating America’s authoritarian threat. While those… Continue reading

“Retired lawyer wrote the book, literally, on corporations entertaining politicians”

January 27, 2022, 10:24 amelection law bizRick Hasen

Congrats to Ken Gross on a well-deserved retirement! Roll Call exit interview: When Ken Gross embarked on building a political law practice at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in the 1980s, most firms represented either Republican or Democratic… Continue reading

Disenfranchisement and the New Found Story of Jackson Giles and Giles v. Harris

January 27, 2022, 8:44 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

The moment when the Supreme Court declined to do anything about the massive disenfranchisement of black voters throughout the South is embodied in Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ opinion in Giles v. Harris, 189 US 475 (1903). Justice Kagan’s dissenting opinion… Continue reading

“Trump Has Pushed the Wisconsin GOP Into a Full Meltdown”

January 27, 2022, 8:31 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Cameron Joseph for Vice: Accusations of slander. Leaked documents. Fake news pushed by a right-wing conspiracy website. Staff forcibly reassigned. Angry warnings from former President Donald Trump.Wisconsin Republicans have broken into open warfare over how far to push Trump’s election… Continue reading

“Meet the Trio Who May Have Figured Out How to Save American Democracy”

January 27, 2022, 8:29 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Steven Rosenfeld for TNR: Using public election records to debunk stolen election lies and confront propagandists is not a “fool’s game,” as a New York Times editorial board member recently opined—arguing that “the professional vote-fraud crusaders are not in… Continue reading

ELB Podcast Episode 3:5: Bart Gellman, Jessica Huseman, and Margaret Sullivan: What Can (and Should) Journalists Do to Prevent Election Subversion and Another January 6?

January 27, 2022, 7:35 amELB Podcast, election subversion riskRick Hasen

On Season 3, Episode 5 of the ELB Podcast: How can journalists best report on stories about the risks to election integrity in the United States?Should journalists be taking sides between the forces of those supporting and opposing free… Continue reading

“Judge Says States Can Investigate WinRed’s Fund-Raising Tactics”

January 27, 2022, 6:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: A federal judge in Minnesota on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by WinRed, a company that processes online donations for Republicans, that sought to block state attorneys general from investigating fund-raising tactics that have triggered complaints of fraud.The… Continue reading

“A battleground fight over polling places and voting rights in Georgia”

January 27, 2022, 6:43 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

CPI: The national spotlight in recent weeks has fallen, improbably, on Lincoln County, a “sportsman’s paradise” of about 7,700 people that lies along the South Carolina border. Local election officials have proposed consolidating all seven polling places into… Continue reading

“State Regulation of Election-Related Speech in the U.S.: An Overview and Comparative Analysis”

January 27, 2022, 6:41 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

David Ardia, Evan Ringel, and Allysan Scatterday have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The last two presidential election cycles have brought increased attention to the extent of misinformation – and outright lies – peddled by political… Continue reading

“Schumer gives Electoral Count Act group breathing room”

January 27, 2022, 5:49 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Significant news from Politico on dynamics in the Senate concerning potential ECA revision.

Jan. 27 Brennan Center Event on the Elections Clause and the Midterms

January 26, 2022, 3:57 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

This looks great: Trump’s Big Lie has convinced a staggering number of Americans that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” — and now some states are trying to create new rules that would allow them to control election… Continue reading

My Candidates For Justice Breyer’s Two Most Important “Law of Democracy” Opinions

January 26, 2022, 11:24 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Two decisions involving race, partisanship, and redistricting stand out for me as Justice Breyer’s two most consequential election-law opinions for the Court. If we take them in chronological order, the first is Easley v. Cromartie, a 5-4 decision out of… Continue reading