David French’s newsletter on free speech at this moment

September 18, 2025, 5:36 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Characteristically thoughtful and eloquent words from the N.Y. Times columnist. It begins: “It’s hard to grasp the magnitude of the emerging threat to free speech in the United States.” It ends by quoting some of Justice Robert Jackson’s best lines… Continue reading

“A New Democratic Think Tank Wants to Curb the Influence of Liberal Groups”

September 18, 2025, 5:20 amUncategorizedNed Foley

N.Y. Times reports on Adam Jentleson’s new organization, which is “starting with an annual budget of $10 million … [and] is subsidized by a roster of billionaire donors highlighted by Stephen Mandel, a hedge fund manager, and Eric Laufer, a… Continue reading

“Meta created its own super PAC to politically kneecap its AI rivals”

September 17, 2025, 6:04 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Interesting story in The Verve. “’It’s essentially a way for [Zuckerberg] to spend the company’s money on his political choices, whereas at a company like Google, there’s not a single person who’s a majority shareholder who can dictate what the… Continue reading

“Justice Department says it’s suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states”

September 17, 2025, 5:43 amUncategorizedNed Foley

AP reports. DOJ claims that the states are violating the NVRA, HAVA, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Both states are vigorously opposing DOJ’s efforts to get access to the state’s unredacted voter registration database, citing privacy concerns. This… Continue reading

“Sisyphean Democracy”

September 17, 2025, 5:41 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

At NYU’s Democracy Project, Professor Wojciech Sadurski, Challis Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Sydney and Professor at the University of Warsaw Center for Europe, has an important essay on the struggle of how democrats should respond, once… Continue reading

“Pam Bondi Needs a Free Speech Tutorial”

September 17, 2025, 5:28 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Wall Street Journal editorial. It begins: “Is a basic understanding of the First Amendment too much to expect from the nation’s Attorney General?”

“The Georgia Election Chief Who Angered Trump Plans Run for Governor”

September 17, 2025, 5:23 amUncategorizedNed Foley

The Wall Street Journal reports. The article points out that Trump has already endorsed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s opponent for the Republican nomination, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. The state AG, Chris Carr, is also in the race for the… Continue reading

Trump, Bondi & Free Speech

September 17, 2025, 4:05 amUncategorizedNed Foley

POLITICO has a story that is mostly about Bondi but what it says about Trump struck me as most significant. It begins with Bondi: “Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday appeared to walk back comments promising to target broadly defined… Continue reading

“Voter Registration is Being Undermined Across America”

September 16, 2025, 12:21 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Op-ed in Time by Hannah Fried, executive director of All Voting is Local. My month-long fellowship at the University of Melbourne this summer taught me, among many other things, that if voting is compulsory–as it is in Australia–then there… Continue reading

American Encorce v. Fontes

September 16, 2025, 12:13 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

The Ninth Circuit today issued a ruling with two parts: (1) it reversed the district court’s determination that the plaintiffs have standing to challenge the “Canvass Provision” of the Arizona Secretary of State’s Election Manual , which states: “If… Continue reading

“The Voting Wars: Public Opinion About Battles Over Voting Rules”

September 16, 2025, 11:31 amUncategorizedNed Foley

A new paper by Ryan Claassen and Michael Easley with this abstract: The voting wars rank among the most rancorous and active partisan battles in an era defined by extreme partisan animus. The current battle lines formed decades ago, but… Continue reading

Paul Gronke on [in?] “The Voting Booth” podcast

September 16, 2025, 10:26 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Discussing vote-by-mail (not surprisingly, given Paul’s expertise on the topic).

Today: Free Webinar from Safeguarding Democracy Project: “The Risk of Federal Interference in the 2026 Midterm Elections”

September 16, 2025, 7:46 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Tuesday, September 16, 12:15pm-1:15pm PT, Webinar Register here. Ben Haiman, UVA Center for Public Safety and Justice, Liz Howard, NYU Law Brennan Center for Justice, and Stephen Richer, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School Richard L. Hasen, moderator (Director,… Continue reading

“Why a Pennsylvania Court Election This November Could Matter in 2028”

September 16, 2025, 4:58 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Nick Corasaniti in The NY Times on the retention elections for three seats held by Democrats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court: “What’s at stake is nothing less than control of the highest court in the most important swing state in… Continue reading