“Justice Department Orders a Halt to Civil Rights Work”

January 23, 2025, 7:56 amDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

NY Times: The Justice Department has ordered an immediate halt to all new civil rights cases or investigations — and signaled that it might back out of Biden-era agreements with police departments that engaged in discrimination or violence, according to… Continue reading

“‘The gloves are off’: Trump appears poised to cash in from his presidency in new ways”

January 23, 2025, 7:54 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for CNN: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump released meme coins just days before he took the oath of office. A splashy pre-inaugural party was held at a property his company owns. And a Saudi-backed golf… Continue reading

“In blow to GOP, NC Supreme Court won’t fast-track lawsuit seeking to throw out 60,000 ballots” (Divided opinions suggest an ultimate possible 3-3 tie in this case)

January 23, 2025, 7:50 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Will Doran of WRAL: North Carolina’s Republican-majority state Supreme Court ruled partially against the Republican candidate seeking to join its ranks, rejecting his effort to fast-track a lawsuit seeking to throw out more than 60,000 people’s 2024 ballots. The case… Continue reading

“Blame the Supreme Court for Elon Musk’s Power in Trump Administration”

January 23, 2025, 7:41 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Brendan Fischer Rolling Stone commentary, with the subhead: “Elon Musk’s outsized influence with the new president is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which turns 15 this week.”

“O.C. Registrar of Voters debunks viral election fraud claim”

January 23, 2025, 7:39 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

LA Times: A recent Orange County Grand Jury report that found no evidence of voter fraud did little to dissuade a false claim of election tampering from exploding on social media soon after. On Jan. 16, Joe Hoff, a far-right… Continue reading

Elon Musk Gaining Unprecedented Access to Government Information Via DOGE

January 22, 2025, 10:17 amPlutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Inside this WaPo story on the Musk/Ramaswamy divergence over DOGE’s goals, and Musk pushing his partner out, is this key information: In his new role, Musk appears to have vast access to the inner workings of government that far exceeds… Continue reading

“Ranked Choice Voting May Be a Stepping Stone to Proportional Representation”

January 22, 2025, 10:10 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Eveline Dowling in The Fulcrum: n the 2024 U.S. election, several states did not pass ballot initiatives to implement Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) despite strong majority support from voters under 65. Still, RCV was defended in Alaska,… Continue reading

“Twenty-two States Sue to Stop Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order”

January 22, 2025, 7:49 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Attorneys general from 22 states sued President Trump in two federal district courts on Tuesday to block an executive order that refuses to recognize the U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants as citizens, the opening salvo in what promises to… Continue reading

“A Trump Executive Order Sets Out What Could Be a Road Map for Retribution”

January 22, 2025, 7:45 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: Since his election victory, President Trump has said he would not seek retribution against his perceived enemies. “I’m not looking to go into the past,” he said last month on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Retribution will be through success.”… Continue reading

“There’s reason to be worried about the plethora of pardons from Trump and Biden”

January 22, 2025, 7:44 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Kyle Cheney for Politico: Over a span of 12 hours, two presidents went on a clemency spree. The extraordinary wave of pardons Monday — from Joe Biden as he left the White House and from Donald Trump as soon as… Continue reading

“Riggs seeks earliest possible oral argument in NC Supreme Court election dispute”

January 22, 2025, 7:41 amjudicial elections, recountsRick Hasen

Carolina Journal reports.

“‘F–k it: Release ’em all’: Why Trump embraced broad Jan. 6 pardons”

January 22, 2025, 7:36 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Marc Caputo for Axios: President Trump‘s sweeping pardons for 1,500 Jan. 6 criminals and defendants were a last-minute, rip-the-bandage-off decision to try to move past the issue quickly, White House advisers familiar with the Trump team’s discussions tell Axios.… Continue reading

“Beneath a veneer of calm, Trump’s inauguration holds warning signs for US democracy”

January 21, 2025, 2:11 pmauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Nick Riccardi for AP: All the living former presidents were there and the outgoing president amicably greeted his successor, who gave a speech about the country’s bright future and who left to the blare of a brass band. At first… Continue reading

Jan. 28 SDP Event with Amy Gardner, Pam Karlan, and Stephen Richer: “Fair Elections and Voting Rights: What’s Ahead in the Next Four Years?”

January 21, 2025, 2:05 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

January 28 Fair Elections and Voting Rights: What’s Ahead in the Next Four Years? Register for the webinar here. In-person registration here. Lunch will be provided.Tuesday, January 28, 12:15pm-1:15pm PT Room 1327 at UCLA Law and onlineAmy… Continue reading