“Judge kills NJ’s controversial ballot design for Senate primary”

March 29, 2024, 10:10 amballot access, political partiesRick Hasen

Politico: New Jersey’s controversial ballot design that gives party-backed candidates an advantage will be scrapped in the June primary, a federal judge ruled on Friday. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi granted the preliminary injunction sought by Rep. Andy Kim and two Congressional… Continue reading

“Donald Trump quietly continues court fight against Maine’s secretary of state”

March 29, 2024, 10:09 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Billy Kobin for the Bangor Daily News.

“The fight to flip the House just got harder for Dems. And they have New York to blame.”

March 29, 2024, 10:07 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Zach Montellaro for Politico: Republicans eked out a narrow win in the 2024 redistricting wars, gaining a single seat before the general election. While there’s an outside chance of another last-minute redistricting before November, after two significant court rulings this… Continue reading

My New Paper: “From Bloggers in Pajamas to The Gateway Pundit: How Government Entities Do and Should Identify Professional Journalists for Access and Protection”

March 29, 2024, 7:57 amFirst Amendment theoryRick Hasen

I have posted this draft on SSRN. I will be presenting it at a May 3 Knight Columbia conference, and it is forthcoming as a book chapter in THE FUTURE OF PRESS FREEDOM: DEMOCRACY, LAW & THE NEWS IN… Continue reading

“Georgia lawmakers pass new election rules that could impact 2024 presidential contest” (UPDATED)

March 29, 2024, 7:52 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: Georgia lawmakers on Thursday approved new rules for challenging voters and qualifying for the state’s presidential ballot that could impact the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state. Senate Bill 189 passed the House by a vote of 101… Continue reading

New OMB race/ethnicity categories

March 28, 2024, 10:38 pmredistricting, Voting Rights Actcensus, raceJustin Levitt

Justin here. This is a really big deal: the federal government’s got new standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity. The Office of Management and Budget has a sneak preview today of tomorrow’s update of “Statistical Policy Directive No.… Continue reading

“South Carolina latest state to use congressional map deemed illegal”

March 28, 2024, 8:05 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Patrick Marley for WaPo: In a scenario that has played out in three states in recent years, a federal court ruled Thursday that time had run out to draw a new congressional district in South Carolina and that the state… Continue reading

“Crystal Mason: Texas woman sentenced to five years over voting error acquitted”

March 28, 2024, 6:53 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Great news from Sam Levine, who has been all over this story for years: A Texas appeals court has thrown out a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced for trying to cast a… Continue reading

Campaign Finance Vouchers Do Not Expand the Diversity of Donors: Evidence from Seattle

March 28, 2024, 3:06 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

As I’ve written before, a mistake many political reformers make is in assuming that most citizens are as engaged in politics as the reformers are, or would be if given the appropriate opportunities. A new paper on the Seattle campaign… Continue reading

“GOP official who claimed 2020 election was stolen voted illegally 9 times, judge rules”

March 28, 2024, 2:54 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Georgia Republican official who pushed false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” was found to have voted illegally nine times, a judge ruled this week. Brian Pritchard, first vice chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, was ordered to… Continue reading

“Prioritizing the People in the Procurement of Election Infrastructure”

March 28, 2024, 2:04 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Dennis Mema has posted this draft on SSRN (53 Pub. Con. L. J. 261 (2023)). Here is the abstract: The continuous and successful holding of elections stands as one of the foundational pillars of American democracy. In the two decades… Continue reading

“Eastman disciplinary case probably not going to the California Supreme Court just yet”

March 28, 2024, 12:19 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

David Ettinger explains the procedures, including how the case could end up at SCOTUS.

“Republican-passed bill removes role of Democratic governor if Senate vacancy occurs in Kentucky”

March 28, 2024, 10:41 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: Kentucky lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a U.S. Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader… Continue reading