NYU’s Democracy Project Features Two Essays on Democracy and AI

October 21, 2025, 5:10 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Today we have an essay from Nate Persily titled: Democracy in the Age of AI. Yesterday, Lisa Manheim also published an essay titled: Leaning into AI. Both essays turn out to more optimistic, or at least less pessimistic,… Continue reading

Section 2’s Legislative History Refutes the SG’s Proposal

October 20, 2025, 7:58 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

I’ve previously noted a number of problems with the SG’s proposal in Callais, under which demonstrative maps would have to achieve the enacted plan’s political goals in order to satisfy the first Gingles precondition. The proposal has no basis in the Supreme Court’s Section 2… Continue reading

“A little-noticed consequence of mid-decade redistricting”

October 20, 2025, 7:53 amUncategorizedgerrymandering, redistrictingSpencer Overton

Almanac of American Politics with Louis Jacobson Substack: With 10 states — and maybe more — looking to redraw their House districts this year or early next year, the balance of Congress might look very different by the time… Continue reading

“Will the Voting Rights Act Survive SCOTUS?”

October 20, 2025, 7:52 amUncategorizedRedistricting; Louisiana, Voting Rights Act; Section 2Spencer Overton

Strict Scrutiny podcast: Leah, Kate, and Melissa break down last week’s agonizing two-and-a-half-hour oral argument in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that could see the already weakened Voting Rights Act gutted even further. They highlight the themes that emerged and… Continue reading

“Who Pays for Election Administration?”

October 20, 2025, 7:51 amUncategorizedelection administration, election fundingSpencer Overton

electionline: ..To better clarify funding structures in election administration, the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) recently released a report detailing which level of government was responsible for various types of election expenses in the administration of statewide… Continue reading

“Texas election officials ask state to halt rollout of updated TEAM voter registration system”

October 20, 2025, 7:50 amUncategorizedelection administration, voter registrationSpencer Overton

VOTEBEAT: Groups representing election officials across Texas are asking the state to halt the rollout of its updated voter registration system and address issues that they say “directly impact key parts of the election and jury process.”… ….they said… Continue reading

“How Trump Aims to Redefine the Military”

October 20, 2025, 7:48 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

NYT Video: President Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, have been reshaping the way the U.S. military works. David Sanger, who covers the White House and national security for The New York Times, explains how Trump has been… Continue reading

Adding New Meaning to the Expression “Flooding the Zone with Shit,””Trump Posts Fake Video of Himself Flying a ‘King Trump’ Jet Over Protesters”

October 19, 2025, 11:50 amcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump has posted a fake video on social media that showed him wearing a crown and flying a jet labeled “King Trump” that dumps brown liquid on protesters. The short video, shared on Mr. Trump’s Truth Social account… Continue reading

“As ‘No Kings’ protests decry Trump, surveillance worries emerge”

October 19, 2025, 7:45 amUncategorizedsurveillanceSpencer Overton

Reuters / MSN: People who take part in Saturday’s mass “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump’s administration may be targeted for federal government surveillance with a range of technology that could include facial recognition and phone hacking, civil… Continue reading

“White House and Government Agencies Join Bluesky, Then Attack Democrats”

October 19, 2025, 7:45 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

NYT: The White House and more than half a dozen government agencies on Friday joined a social media platform popular with liberals and promptly shared posts declaring Democrats were to blame for the ongoing government shutdown. ….Experts in employment… Continue reading

“U.S. Supreme Court case from Louisiana likely to reshape Voting Rights Act, legal experts say”

October 19, 2025, 7:44 amUncategorizedredistricting, Redistricting; Louisiana, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

NOLA.com Thinking about how the U.S. Supreme Court will handle the Louisiana case that could reshape the Voting Rights Act, the crowning legislative achievement of the civil rights era, Southern University political science professor Albert Samuels says he can’t help… Continue reading

Thurs & Fri: Univ. of Penn Law Review Multiracial Democracy Symposium

October 18, 2025, 7:46 amUncategorizedDiversity, Fusion, gerrymandering, multiracial democracy, Proportional Representation, technology, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

You can register for and get more info on the symposium here. In light of recent attacks on multiracial democracy, I’m honored to co-organize The Future of Law & Multiracial Democracy Symposium this upcoming Thursday and Friday (October 23-24)… Continue reading

“Voting Rights Act faces a near-death experience at US Supreme Court”

October 18, 2025, 7:37 amUncategorizedRedistricting; Louisiana, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

Reuters: …The Trump administration’s framework would impose new evidentiary requirements on Black voters who sue over how electoral maps are drawn. Among other things, they would need current statistics showing that a legislature discriminated based on race, rather than… Continue reading

“Trump Pushes Indiana Lawmakers to Redraw State Maps”

October 18, 2025, 7:36 amUncategorized2026 Election Cycle, gerrymandering, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

NYT: President Trump called Republicans in the Indiana Senate on Friday morning to encourage them to redraw the state’s congressional maps to benefit Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, according to three people familiar with the call. Mr. Trump… Continue reading