“Trump sentenced to penalty-free ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money case”

January 10, 2025, 7:30 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NBC News: The New York judge who presided over Donald Trump’s hush money case on Friday sentenced the president-elect to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning he is now a convicted felon in the eyes of New York state law but will… Continue reading

“Appeals Court Declines to Block Release of Special Counsel Report on Trump Cases”

January 10, 2025, 7:27 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: A federal appeals court said on Thursday that it would not block the Justice Department from releasing a report by the special counsel Jack Smith about the two now-closed investigations he conducted into President-elect Donald J. Trump. In a … Continue reading

“How a Phone Call Drew Alito Into a Trump Loyalty Squabble”

January 10, 2025, 7:25 amconflict of interest laws, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: The circumstances were extraordinary for another reason: Justice Alito was being drawn into a highly personalized effort by some Trump aides to blackball Republicans deemed insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump from entering the administration, according to six people with… Continue reading

“Watchdog group seeks investigation into RFK Jr. for voting from a ‘sham’ address”

January 10, 2025, 7:06 amchicanery, voter registrationRick Hasen

AP: New York election officials are being urged to investigate whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed voter fraud by casting his November ballot from a discredited address, as the former independent presidential candidate seeks Senate confirmation for a top public… Continue reading

North Carolina: “Attorney went around opposing counsel for order blocking certification of a disputed state Supreme Court election”

January 10, 2025, 6:56 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WUNC: n attorney representing the Republican candidate in a tight race for the North Carolina Supreme Court went before a Wake County judge this week without notifying opposing counsel to seek an order blocking certification of the election. In some… Continue reading

Supreme Court, on 5-4 Vote, Will Not Stop Sentencing of Donald Trump Tomorrow (on Charges for Which the Judge Will Not Impose Jail Time)

January 9, 2025, 4:37 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Here is the order in full: 24A666 TRUMP, DONALD J. V. NEW YORK, ET AL. The application for stay presented to Justice Sotomayor and by her referred to the Court is denied for, inter alia, the following reasons. First, the… Continue reading

“TikTok Case Before Supreme Court Pits National Security Against Free Speech”

January 9, 2025, 4:10 pmcheap speech, First Amendment theory, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: When the Supreme Court hears arguments on Friday over whether protecting national security requires TikTok to be sold or closed, the justices will be working in the shadow of three First Amendment precedents, all influenced by the climate of… Continue reading

“Lessons from the 2024 elections for election reformers”

January 9, 2025, 4:02 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Alan Durning at Democracy SOS.

“History, Tradition, and Voter Registration”

January 9, 2025, 4:01 pmvoter registrationRick Hasen

Josh Douglas has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Wisconsin Law Review). Here is the abstract: History and tradition are dominating the current Supreme Court, which has invoked history and tradition to curtail some rights, such as abortion, while using… Continue reading

Bob Bauer: “Trump is Poised to Turn the DOJ into His Personal Law Firm”

January 9, 2025, 3:57 pmconflict of interest laws, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

Bob Bauer in The Atlantic: No president has ever attempted to do what Donald Trump now proposes to do—assemble a small team of former personal attorneys and install it at the highest levels of the Department of Justice. The president-elect… Continue reading

“Trump Asks Supreme Court to Halt His Sentencing in N.Y. Criminal Case”

January 8, 2025, 12:27 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Days away from his criminal sentencing in New York, President-elect Donald J. Trump is seeking a late-stage rescue from the U.S. Supreme Court that would shut down the case before he returns to the White House. In an emergency … Continue reading

Justice Dept. to Hold Off Releasing Report on Trump Documents Case; But in a court filing, the department indicated that it would release a separate report about Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as soon as possible.”

January 8, 2025, 12:24 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday that they planned to hold off on releasing a portion of a report by the special counsel, Jack Smith, detailing his investigation into President-elect Donald J. Trump’s refusal to give back a trove of… Continue reading

“Trump’s Lawyers Have Assailed Jack Smith. They Could Soon Have Power to Go After Him.”

January 8, 2025, 12:21 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: In many ways, the letter that President-elect Donald J. Trump’s criminal defense lawyers sent to the Justice Department this week was a display of legal and political bombast. The lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, sought in it to … Continue reading

“Judge Cannon Blocks Release of Special Counsel’s Final Report on Trump Documents Investigation”

January 7, 2025, 11:09 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: The federal judge who handled President-elect Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case temporarily barred the special counsel, Jack Smith, on Tuesday from releasing his final report on the investigation to the public. In a brief ruling, Judge Aileen M.… Continue reading