“As Political Violence Rises, Trump Condemns One Side”

September 12, 2025, 8:45 ampolitical violenceRick Hasen

NYT: After the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Trump released a four-minute video from the Oval Office in which he condemned the killing as the “tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day.”… Continue reading

“Clarity about Callais and the fate of the Voting Rights Act”

September 12, 2025, 7:37 amUncategorizedNed Foley

I’ve written a new “Justice, Democracy, and Law” column for SCOTUSblog. Here’s its summary: There’s a widespread belief that the Supreme Court is poised to invalidate the core provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But that belief is… Continue reading

“America enters a new age of political violence”

September 11, 2025, 3:30 pmpolitical violenceRick Hasen

WaPo: A Minnesota state legislator killed in her home in June. The Pennsylvania governor’s house set afire in April. Candidate Donald Trump facing two apparent assassination attempts during last year’s campaign. And now conservative activist Charlie Kirk gunned down and … Continue reading

“Republicans invoke ‘nuclear option’ in push to change Senate rules”

September 11, 2025, 3:29 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

WaPo: Republicans moved Thursday to speed up Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees by changing the chamber’s rules over the objections of Democrats. Senators voted 53-45 to allow themselves to change the rules with a simple majorityinstead of 60… Continue reading

““Modernizing Voter List Maintenance: An Evidence-Based Framework for Access and Integrity”

September 11, 2025, 3:23 pmvoter registrationRick Hasen

Michael Morse, Rachel Orey, and Joann Bautista have published a Bipartisan Policy Center report on list maintenance, based on Morse’s earlier article. Here’s an excerpt of the executive summary: Voter registration lists are widely regarded as the backbone of election… Continue reading

NOT “By All Means Necessary”

September 11, 2025, 8:23 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

In light of yesterday’s tragic events, I am posting an excerpt here from Randy Kennedy’s essay we published earlier this week at the NYU Democracy Project: Because proponents of democracy are constantly battling its enemies, the ethics of fighting… Continue reading

The Despicable Assassination of Charlie Kirk

September 10, 2025, 5:01 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Once again I condemn the use of political violence. It is equally repugnant when directed at liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, governors, presidents, or activists like Kirk. I have had to post sentiments like this far too often in… Continue reading

I Spoke to NPR’s Fresh Air: “An election law expert weighs in on Trump’s effort to reshape our democracy” (Link to Audio)

September 10, 2025, 10:58 amauthoritarian threats in US, election administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Had a great conversation with Tonya Mosley for NPR’s Fresh Air: “Before 2026’s midterms, President Trump wants to ban mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines, and change voting rules. Legal expert Richard Hasen discusses the future of free and fair… Continue reading

The 2025 Election Law Conference at Florida State University

September 10, 2025, 7:59 amelection law bizTravis Crum

This weekend, FSU will host the 2025 Election Law Conference. Jacob Eisler is the organizer, and I am serving as an informal advisor. This conference is a sequel to last year’s Election Law Conference at Washington University in St. Louis,… Continue reading

“Michigan dismissal highlights the challenges in prosecuting cases against Trump’s 2020 fake electors”

September 10, 2025, 7:43 amchicanery, election subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

AP: Before the abandoned federal attempt to prosecute Donald Trump for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, state and local prosecutors brought cases against his fake electors. The term referred to the people who, in several of the… Continue reading

Launching “The Democracy Project” at NYU

September 10, 2025, 4:27 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

I’m excited to announce we are launching The Democracy Project at NYU School of Law. Bob Bauer, Sam Issacharoff, and I will lead The Project. Here’s link to the Project’s website. Dissatisfaction with democratic government has been pervasive for the… Continue reading

“Why some longtime gerrymandering opponents are reconsidering their strategies”

September 9, 2025, 12:10 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Hansi Lo Wang for NPR.

“Trump Administration Quietly Seeks to Build National Voter Roll”

September 9, 2025, 6:50 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department is compiling the largest set of national voter roll data it has ever collected, buttressing an effort by President Trump and his supporters to try to prove long-running, unsubstantiated claims that droves of undocumented immigrants have… Continue reading

“Democrats pick members for new GOP-led committee on Jan. 6 Capitol attack”

September 9, 2025, 6:46 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

WaPo: Democrats named the members of their caucus to serve on a new subcommittee reinvestigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — a Republican-led probe that threatens to reignite tensions over one of the most divisive… Continue reading