Wisconsin: “Justice Janet Protasiewicz is under pressure to step away from a case. What to know about impeachment and recusal”

September 2, 2023, 2:31 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: What role does campaign spending play in recusal? In Wisconsin, none. The state Supreme Court adopted rules in 2010 that a judge “shall not be required” to recuse based solely on an endorsement or campaign contribution. That’s a… Continue reading

“Federal judge to decide whether new Jefferson County Commission district lines are racially unfair”

September 1, 2023, 3:06 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

AL.com: The future leadership of Alabama’s largest county is in the hands of a federal judge who will decide whether Jefferson County commissioners gerrymandered district lines to dwarf the voting rights of Black residents. In a five-hour hearing Wednesday Judge… Continue reading

“Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs sentenced to 17 years for Jan. 6 crimes”

September 1, 2023, 6:52 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

WaPo: A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison, just shy of the longest punishment imposed on a participant in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.… Continue reading

“Can the 14th Amendment be used to block Trump from 2024 ballots?”

September 1, 2023, 6:44 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

PBS News Hour reports.

“Is Frank LaRose proving that Ohio needs a neutral, non-partisan elections chief?”

September 1, 2023, 6:43 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Kevin Johnson oped in Ohio Capital Journal: What would the NCAA do if the head referee in the Ohio State-Michigan game spent his free time leading rallies and fundraisers for the Wolverines? Even if he assured fans he’d be neutral… Continue reading

“DeSantis Super PAC’s Urgent Plea to Donors: ‘We Need 50 Million Bucks'”

August 31, 2023, 7:27 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Hours before the Republican Party’s first presidential debate, the chief strategist for the super PAC that has effectively taken over Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign met with donors in Milwaukee. “Now let me tell you a secret — don’t leak… Continue reading

“What Happens if Mitch McConnell Retires Before His Senate Term Ends?”

August 31, 2023, 7:24 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: For decades in Kentucky, the power to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate was reserved exclusively for the governor, regardless of whether an incumbent stepped down, died in office or was expelled from Congress. But with Gov. Andy… Continue reading

“Alabama state lawmaker agrees to plead guilty to voter fraud”

August 31, 2023, 7:16 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NBC News: An Alabama legislator has agreed to plead guilty to a felony voter fraud charge that he used a fraudulent address to run for office in a district where he did not live, according to an agreement filed Thursday.… Continue reading

The current waves of Section 3 claims against Donald Trump are likely doomed to fail before they even touch the merits

August 31, 2023, 9:58 amelectoral college, legislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

Ned and Rick H. have done an impressive job collecting some of the commentary over the last couple of weeks of challenges being filed, or anticipated to be filed, about Donald Trump and his eligibility under Section 3 of the… Continue reading

“Trump Could Clinch the Nomination Before the G.O.P. Knows if He’s a Felon”

August 31, 2023, 7:06 amelection subversion risk, political partiesRick Hasen

NYT: By the time Donald J. Trump is sitting at his federal trial on charges of criminally conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, he may have already secured enough delegates to effectively clinch the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. The… Continue reading

“Judge rules for Fulton election workers in Giuliani defamation lawsuit”

August 31, 2023, 7:00 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AJC: A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Rudy Giuliani is liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two former Fulton County election workers. In her 57-page order, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued a default judgment against the former… Continue reading

Parsons, Penrose, and Carroll: “Pico & Proportional Ranked Choice Voting”

August 31, 2023, 6:56 amalternative voting systems, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from G. Michael Parsons (Senior Legal Fellow, FairVote), Drew Penrose (Policy Consultant, FairVote), and Terrance Carroll (Senior Fellow for Voting and Democracy, FairVote): The California Supreme Court’s decision in Pico Neighborhood Association v. City … Continue reading

“An Iowa County Just Stopped An Election Denier from Overseeing 2024 Election”

August 31, 2023, 6:54 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Bolts reports.

Must-Read NYT Piece on How Changes to Campaign Finance Contribute to Extremism

August 30, 2023, 12:35 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Tom Edsall in the NYT does a masterful job synthesizing the state-of-the-art empirical knowledge on how changes in recent years to the way elections are financed have contributed to polarization and extremism. Relying on this data, the piece makes two… Continue reading