“Opposition Research Goes Hyperlocal; The liberal group American Bridge is launching a new project to collect information for campaigns against Republicans running for state and local offices.”

February 15, 2022, 4:23 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: Some of the loudest Stop the Steal voices on the right are actually far removed from the levers of America’s election machinery. When a member of Congress makes false claims about hacked voting machines or stolen ballots, he… Continue reading

“Opinion | Why Democrats Shouldn’t Say the Midterms Will Be Illegitimate”

February 15, 2022, 4:15 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

David Levine Politico oped: But supporters of the bill should stop claiming that the 2022 elections may be “illegitimate” if it does not pass — an argument that President Joe Biden and other top Democrats have at least hinted… Continue reading

“Jan. 6 Inquiry Subpoenas 6 Tied to False Pro-Trump Elector Effort”

February 15, 2022, 3:21 pmelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol subpoenaed two of Donald J. Trump’s campaign aides and Republican Party officials from battleground states on Tuesday as it dug deeper into a plan to use false… Continue reading

Majority, Concurring, and Dissenting Opinion Issued in North Carolina Partisan Gerrymandering Case

February 15, 2022, 1:28 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

When the NC Supreme Court recently rejected the state’s congressional and state legislative maps as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander under the state constitution, the court promised opinions to follow. You can now find 217 pages of opinions at this link… Continue reading

“Stacey Abrams, David Perdue call foul on GOP proposal to ban fundraising while Georgia legislature is in session”

February 15, 2022, 10:37 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Both the Democrat and Republican seeking to oust Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) are calling foul on a proposal by GOP lawmakers that would prohibit fundraising while the legislature is in session.State legislators say the measure is fair only… Continue reading

Political Reforms to Combat Extremism

February 15, 2022, 8:36 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Here’s my latest NYT piece, which endorses Alaska’s Top-Four primary structure, a reform the Alaska Supreme Court recently upheld. My piece is along similar lines to those in Ned Foley’s Washington Post op-ed on the potential of the new… Continue reading

“No legal battles for California’s new election maps. But what lessons can be learned?”

February 15, 2022, 6:46 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Cal Matters: As the clock struck midnight on Feb. 10, 14 people scattered around California collectively exhaled in relief.The 14 are members of the state’s independent citizens redistricting commission who drew 120 new districts for the Legislature, 52 for… Continue reading

“These companies stopped campaign donations to election objectors. Their lobbyists did not.”

February 15, 2022, 6:45 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Politico: In the weeks following last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, Amazon suspended all campaign donations to the 147 Republicans who objected to certifying the election that day, calling their behavior “unacceptable.”Six months later, Amazon lobbyists began doling… Continue reading

“2020 Election Denier Will Run for Top Elections Position in Colorado; Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk, has been stripped of her county election oversight but is seeking to oversee her state’s elections as secretary of state.”

February 15, 2022, 6:43 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: A Republican county clerk in Colorado who was stripped of her responsibility of overseeing county elections is joining a growing movement of people throughout the country who spread false claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election and want… Continue reading

“What the GOP meant when it called Jan. 6 ‘legitimate political discourse’”

February 15, 2022, 6:42 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: The Republican National Committee’s attempt to unwind the controversy over its characterization of Jan. 6, 2021, as “legitimate political discourse” may have given investigators of the Capitol riot an underappreciated piece of the puzzle they’re assembling.According to… Continue reading

“Tennessee lawmakers pass ban on instant runoff voting”

February 15, 2022, 5:40 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Via Westport News: Memphis voted to adopt RCV in 2008, but it’s never been employed, as a result of long-running litigation and administrative battles. Tennessee lawmakers passed a ban Monday against instant runoff voting in elections, a move that seeks… Continue reading

How Small Donor Extremism Influences the Types of Candidates who Run in Primaries

February 14, 2022, 3:07 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

This National Journal piece from Josh Kraasner reports a couple intriguing, interlocking claims about the dynamics shaping the looming Republican primary contests. He notes that large donors are not participating heavily for various reasons, in part because in crowded primary… Continue reading

Feb. 16 BPC Event: “Electoral Count Act: Conspiracies, Controversies, and Consequences”

February 14, 2022, 11:50 amelectoral collegeRick Hasen

This looks good: Join BPC next Wednesday, February 16, for a special conversation on the Electoral Count Act (ECA) with legal scholars Derek T. Muller and Richard H. Pildes, moderated by Lara Brown, Ph.D. The ECA, which guides Congress… Continue reading

“John Eastman claims attorney-client privilege over thousands of pages sought by Jan. 6 investigators”

February 14, 2022, 10:47 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: Attorney John Eastman, a close ally of Donald Trump amid his effort to subvert the 2020 election, has attempted to shield more than 10,000 pages of emails and counting from congressional investigators, citing attorney client or attorney work-product… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law