“Donald Trump quietly continues court fight against Maine’s secretary of state”
Billy Kobin for the Bangor Daily News.
“The fight to flip the House just got harder for Dems. And they have New York to blame.”
Zach Montellaro for Politico:
Republicans eked out a narrow win in the 2024 redistricting wars, gaining a single seat before the general election.
While there’s an outside chance of another last-minute redistricting before November, after two significant court rulings this… Continue reading
My New Paper: “From Bloggers in Pajamas to The Gateway Pundit: How Government Entities Do and Should Identify Professional Journalists for Access and Protection”
I have posted this draft on SSRN. I will be presenting it at a May 3 Knight Columbia conference, and it is forthcoming as a book chapter in THE FUTURE OF PRESS FREEDOM: DEMOCRACY, LAW & THE NEWS IN… Continue reading
“Georgia lawmakers pass new election rules that could impact 2024 presidential contest” (UPDATED)
AP:
Georgia lawmakers on Thursday approved new rules for challenging voters and qualifying for the state’s presidential ballot that could impact the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state.
Senate Bill 189 passed the House by a vote of 101… Continue reading
New OMB race/ethnicity categories
Justin here. This is a really big deal: the federal government’s got new standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity.
The Office of Management and Budget has a sneak preview today of tomorrow’s update of “Statistical Policy Directive No.… Continue reading
“South Carolina latest state to use congressional map deemed illegal”
Patrick Marley for WaPo:
In a scenario that has played out in three states in recent years, a federal court ruled Thursday that time had run out to draw a new congressional district in South Carolina and that the state… Continue reading
“Crystal Mason: Texas woman sentenced to five years over voting error acquitted”
Great news from Sam Levine, who has been all over this story for years:
A Texas appeals court has thrown out a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced for trying to cast a… Continue reading
Campaign Finance Vouchers Do Not Expand the Diversity of Donors: Evidence from Seattle
As I’ve written before, a mistake many political reformers make is in assuming that most citizens are as engaged in politics as the reformers are, or would be if given the appropriate opportunities. A new paper on the Seattle campaign… Continue reading
“GOP official who claimed 2020 election was stolen voted illegally 9 times, judge rules”
WaPo:
Georgia Republican official who pushed false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” was found to have voted illegally nine times, a judge ruled this week.
Brian Pritchard, first vice chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, was ordered to… Continue reading
“Prioritizing the People in the Procurement of Election Infrastructure”
Dennis Mema has posted this draft on SSRN (53 Pub. Con. L. J. 261 (2023)). Here is the abstract:
The continuous and successful holding of elections stands as one of the foundational pillars of American democracy. In the two decades… Continue reading
“Eastman disciplinary case probably not going to the California Supreme Court just yet”
David Ettinger explains the procedures, including how the case could end up at SCOTUS.
“Republican-passed bill removes role of Democratic governor if Senate vacancy occurs in Kentucky”
AP:
Kentucky lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a U.S. Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader… Continue reading
“Federal court rejects congressional redistricting challenge as state lawsuit awaits Florida Supreme Court”
The Tributary:
A three-judge federal panel unanimously upheld a controversial congressional map backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite accusations he and the Legislature discriminated against Black voters.
The judges agreed that the plaintiffs failed to show the Legislature was discriminating… Continue reading
Amid SCOTUS’s Continued Silence, Federal District Court in South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case Will Allow Congressional Election to Go Forward Under District It Held Illegal
Here is the order:
The present circumstances make it plainly impractical for the Court to adopt a remedial plan for Congressional District No. 1 in advance of the military and overseas absentee ballot deadline of April 27, 2024 mandated under… Continue reading