Political Reforms to Combat Extremism

February 15, 2022, 8:36 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Here’s my latest NYT piece, which endorses Alaska’s Top-Four primary structure, a reform the Alaska Supreme Court recently upheld. My piece is along similar lines to those in Ned Foley’s Washington Post op-ed on the potential of the new… Continue reading

“No legal battles for California’s new election maps. But what lessons can be learned?”

February 15, 2022, 6:46 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Cal Matters: As the clock struck midnight on Feb. 10, 14 people scattered around California collectively exhaled in relief.The 14 are members of the state’s independent citizens redistricting commission who drew 120 new districts for the Legislature, 52 for… Continue reading

“These companies stopped campaign donations to election objectors. Their lobbyists did not.”

February 15, 2022, 6:45 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Politico: In the weeks following last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, Amazon suspended all campaign donations to the 147 Republicans who objected to certifying the election that day, calling their behavior “unacceptable.”Six months later, Amazon lobbyists began doling… Continue reading

“2020 Election Denier Will Run for Top Elections Position in Colorado; Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk, has been stripped of her county election oversight but is seeking to oversee her state’s elections as secretary of state.”

February 15, 2022, 6:43 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: A Republican county clerk in Colorado who was stripped of her responsibility of overseeing county elections is joining a growing movement of people throughout the country who spread false claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election and want… Continue reading

“What the GOP meant when it called Jan. 6 ‘legitimate political discourse’”

February 15, 2022, 6:42 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: The Republican National Committee’s attempt to unwind the controversy over its characterization of Jan. 6, 2021, as “legitimate political discourse” may have given investigators of the Capitol riot an underappreciated piece of the puzzle they’re assembling.According to… Continue reading

“Tennessee lawmakers pass ban on instant runoff voting”

February 15, 2022, 5:40 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Via Westport News: Memphis voted to adopt RCV in 2008, but it’s never been employed, as a result of long-running litigation and administrative battles. Tennessee lawmakers passed a ban Monday against instant runoff voting in elections, a move that seeks… Continue reading

How Small Donor Extremism Influences the Types of Candidates who Run in Primaries

February 14, 2022, 3:07 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

This National Journal piece from Josh Kraasner reports a couple intriguing, interlocking claims about the dynamics shaping the looming Republican primary contests. He notes that large donors are not participating heavily for various reasons, in part because in crowded primary… Continue reading

Feb. 16 BPC Event: “Electoral Count Act: Conspiracies, Controversies, and Consequences”

February 14, 2022, 11:50 amelectoral collegeRick Hasen

This looks good: Join BPC next Wednesday, February 16, for a special conversation on the Electoral Count Act (ECA) with legal scholars Derek T. Muller and Richard H. Pildes, moderated by Lara Brown, Ph.D. The ECA, which guides Congress… Continue reading

“John Eastman claims attorney-client privilege over thousands of pages sought by Jan. 6 investigators”

February 14, 2022, 10:47 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: Attorney John Eastman, a close ally of Donald Trump amid his effort to subvert the 2020 election, has attempted to shield more than 10,000 pages of emails and counting from congressional investigators, citing attorney client or attorney work-product… Continue reading

“Will the Supreme Court Swing the 2022 Midterms?”

February 14, 2022, 7:51 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Mike Parsons: Recent commentary on the Supreme Court’s stay order in Merrill v. Milligan has focused on what the decision portends for the future of Section 2 doctrine. But the Court’s radical expansion of Purcell threatens to sow… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “A Republican base focused on the 2020 election turns on Assembly Speaker Robin Vos”

February 14, 2022, 7:50 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Robin Vos is facing calls to step off the tight rope he has been on for more than a year navigating a Republican base that wants much more scrutiny from him of the 2020 election and… Continue reading

Judge Luttig: “The Conservative Case for Avoiding a Repeat of Jan. 6”

February 14, 2022, 7:38 amelection subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Judge Luttig NYT oped: The clear and present danger to our democracy now is that former President Donald Trump and his political allies appear prepared to exploit the Electoral Count Act of 1887, the law governing the counting of… Continue reading

“Inside McConnell’s Campaign to Take Back the Senate and Thwart Trump”

February 14, 2022, 7:34 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: As Mr. Trump works to retain his hold on the Republican Party, elevating a slate of friendly candidates in midterm elections, Mr. McConnell and his allies are quietly, desperately maneuvering to try to thwart him. The loose alliance,… Continue reading

“Faulty ballots and frustration: Texans confront ‘nightmare’ effects of new election law as early voting kicks off”

February 14, 2022, 7:31 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for CNN.

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The law of politics and the politics of law