I have written this piece for Slate:
Based on what I have seen so far, the decision to charge Donald Trump with felonies in New York state is a mistake both legally and politically.
First, the legal problems.
Back… Continue reading
Here’s the press release from the Manhattan DA’s office, along with the indictment itself and the accompanying statement of facts.
The indictment is for 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The statement of facts alleges… Continue reading
Pick your favorite broadcaster or publication, and they’ve got an explainer on the arraignment today. Including one that promises “all your questions answered.” Which is a bold claim given that the indictment itself hasn’t yet been unsealed.
The NYT traces the claims that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is “Soros-backed.” Though you have to get through more than half of the piece before you actually find the connection:
Mr. Soros’s involvement with Mr. Bragg’s election is indirect. In… Continue reading
Folks in many regions of the country understand the impact of weather on election day (and the reasons not to rely on just one day). Looks like it could be rough in parts of Chicago this evening.
I’ve chronicled how the 2015 “Cromnibus” bill appears to have contributed to a sharp increase in spending on election litigation. The bill allowed additional contributions to “election recounts and contests and other legal proceedings,” above and beyond individual candidate campaign… Continue reading
AP reports: audio recordings from press interviews with former Texas election officials about LBJ’s infamous “Box 13” are now posted publicly on the LBJ Presidential Library’s archival site.
The Amorphophallus Titanum – the one with the flower that smells like rotting meat – is apparently set to display its 24-hour blossom in NYC this week.
Pundits, just when you thought you were running thin on metaphoric ledes for… Continue reading
Context from the WaPo.
More context: keep in mind that nobody other than the grand jury and the DA’s office has actually seen the charges in the Trump case yet.
In my first academic article, I noted that the Citizens United case seemed to have taken on the perceived sins of a whole line of campaign finance jurisprudence — and more broadly, democratic discontent. That is, it sometimes seemed… Continue reading