“Direct Democracy Scores a Win in Michigan’s High Court. Can It Survive November?”

August 10, 2024, 9:51 amdirect democracystate supreme courts, threats to democracyTabatha Abu El-Haj

Bolts Magazine: Michigan’s Republican legislature’s seemingly duplicitous strategy to get around progressive ballot measures struck down by the state’s high court. “Michigan progressives gathered enough signatures in 2018 to put two labor measures on the ballot: one to raise… Continue reading

2024 Supplement to The Law of Democracy Now Available

August 10, 2024, 9:20 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

The 2024 Supplement to our casebook contains new material on AI and democracy; the social-media cases the Court decided this Term; the cases implicating election-law issues involving former President Trump, including the ballot-disqualification decision; and the most recent Court decision… Continue reading

Ground Game: LULAC Endorses Harris

August 10, 2024, 5:38 amvoting2024 Election Cycle, mobilization, multiracial democracy, voter registrationTabatha Abu El-Haj

CBS News: The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization with a membership-base of over 130,000 breaks with a 90-year tradition and endorses Harris. “LULAC has a formidable grassroots operation… Continue reading

Shawn McCutcheon is Back

August 9, 2024, 1:30 pmcampaign financeMaine, RCVTabatha Abu El-Haj

Shawn McCutcheon: People running in races with ranked choice voting states should be allowed to accept several times the legal limit. On August 7, the Commission made public an advisory opinion request from Shaun McCutcheon. The requestor asks whether for… Continue reading

“Republicans Ask US Supreme Court To Reinstate Arizona Voter Suppression Laws”

August 9, 2024, 1:22 pmNVRA (motor voter), Uncategorized, voter idArizonaTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Democracy Docket: The Republican National Committee and Arizona Republicans applied to the Supreme Court for emergency relief to reinstate Arizona’s strict proof of citizenship law. “Republicans ask the Supreme Court to reject state voter registration forms if the… Continue reading

“Foreign TikTok Networks Are Pushing Political Lies to Americans”

August 9, 2024, 1:08 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

Revelatory WSJ report: Intelligence officials have warned that the 2024 presidential contest could face an unprecedented flood of fake news, fueled by AI, from foreign actors. A Journal analysis of videos on TikTok has found it’s already happening. Amid… Continue reading

Monday August 12 Wikimedia Foundation Online Event: “Legal and Policy Perspectives on How to Combat Disinformation in 2024 Election Cycles”

August 9, 2024, 11:33 amcheap speechRick Hasen

I’m looking forward to participating in this event put on by the Wikimedia Foundation (free registration required): Monday, August 12 Join us for a discussion on tackling fake news and misinformation during the 2024 elections, focusing on legal and policy… Continue reading

Race and Representation in the Battleground Counties

August 9, 2024, 6:47 amvoting2020 Election Cycle, new vote denial, race, swing states, voter turnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

Voter turnout nationally during the 2020 Presidential Election was 66%—the highest since 1900. But a recent analysis from The Union of Concerned Scientists of voter turnout by precinct in 11 battleground counties found clear racial disparities, driven in part by… Continue reading

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith seeks delay to assess implications of SCOTUS ruling on Trump Jan. 6 case

August 9, 2024, 6:46 amUncategorizedFederal case, January 6, presidential immunityTabatha Abu El-Haj

Axios‘ article offers a summary of the implications of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request for a two-week continuance to further analyze the Supreme Court’s immunity cases. Meanwhile, Politico provides a helpful analysis of the nuances of the Supreme Court’s… Continue reading

“Case that could keep RFK Jr. off New York’s presidential ballot ends”

August 9, 2024, 6:32 amballot access, third partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Michael Hill (AP) reports that the bench trial “in Albany over whether Kennedy’s New York nominating petitions should be invalidated ended Thursday without Justice Christina Ryba issuing an immediate decision. Any ruling by the trial judge is expected to be… Continue reading

Thanks to Spencer and Tabatha; Rick Pildes Blogging Next Week

August 9, 2024, 6:00 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Thanks again to Spencer and Tabatha for the great job blogging these past few weeks. Rick Pildes takes the seat on Monday, so please send any tips and comments his way. Then I’m back in the saddle as primary blogger… Continue reading

Walz–Money in Politics (Just enough less)

August 8, 2024, 7:15 pmUncategorizedmoney in politicsTabatha Abu El-Haj

A new profile of Tim Walz’ financial disclosures in the Washington Post reveals the Governor of Minnesota is a college-educated, white-collar professional, but also just upper-middle class. Of all the books and articles I have read over the years about… Continue reading

“Trump’s focus on Georgia election board raises fears for November vote”

August 8, 2024, 6:50 pmelection administration2024 Election Cycle, GeorgiaTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post: Critics, including members of the state’s GOP establishment, worry about the administrative changes to Georgia’s election rules–on the election and on voters’ confidence in the count. “Since May, an unambiguously pro-Trump majority has controlled the state election… Continue reading

Are Joy and Optimism Essential to the Future of American Democracy?

August 8, 2024, 8:02 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

With very little actual election-law news in this 24-hour news cycle, I am thinking about the downside of emphasizing our democratic dismay. We should not ignore the many risks to our electoral system. But should we also be worried that… Continue reading