“How Right-Wing Influencers Are Shaping the Guard Fight in Portland”

October 10, 2025, 7:46 amauthoritarian threats in US, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: In the fight over deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., Democratic leaders in the city and state have pleaded with President Trump and the courts to trust law enforcement records, both local and federal, that describe the… Continue reading

Spencer Overton Blogging Weeks of October 13 and 20

October 10, 2025, 7:27 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Please send your tips and queries to Spencer.

“Grand jury indicts N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump opponent, on bank fraud charge”

October 9, 2025, 1:57 pmauthoritarian threats in US, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NBC News: New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who has clashed with President Donald Trump, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News. James was… Continue reading

“Dominion, Company at Center of False 2020 Voting Conspiracies, Is Sold; The election machine manufacturer was bought by a little-known company whose founder is a former Republican election official.”

October 9, 2025, 1:03 pmvoting technologyRick Hasen

NYT: Election machines that were at the center of multiple false accusations and conspiracy theories after the 2020 election, has been sold to Liberty Vote, a new group run by a former local election director. Liberty Vote announced the… Continue reading

“Advancement Project, Georgia NAACP File Lawsuit Challenging Racial Vote Dilution in Georgia”

October 9, 2025, 1:02 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release: Today, a federal voting rights lawsuit challenging the redistricting of Meriwether County, Georgia, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Georgia NAACP and… Continue reading

California Will No Longer Allow Payments to Induce People to Vote to Boost Turnout (Sometimes Selectively) in State Elections

October 9, 2025, 9:19 amvote buyingRick Hasen

Back in my 2000 California Law Review article, Vote Buying, I wrote about how some jurisdictions, such as California permitted payments for people to register or to vote (so long as those payments were not made to induce people to… Continue reading

Watch Archived Video of Nate Persily’s Must-Watch Presentation for the Safeguarding Democracy Project on Lessons for 2024 and Risks to the 2026 Midterm Elections

October 9, 2025, 7:23 amelection administration, election subversion risk, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Nate packs a lot of data and important observations into this talk, which was held on October 7, 2025. Watch:

“Congresswoman-in-limbo Adelita Grijalva on the dilemma she faces”

October 9, 2025, 7:17 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

WaPo: Every office along the second floor of the Longworth House Office Building looks welcoming, flags lined up nicely, most with visitor sign-in logs out front. Except for the one where the plaque out front reads, “Representative Adelita S. Grijalva,… Continue reading

“Justices Appear Open to Challenge of Mail-In Ballot Rules by Illinois Politician”

October 9, 2025, 7:15 amcampaigns, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: A majority of the Supreme Court appeared sympathetic on Wednesday to arguments by an Illinois congressman that political candidates should be able to challenge their states’ election laws. During the approximately two-hour argument, the justices grappled with what… Continue reading

“VP Vance to visit Indiana Friday to meet with Senate GOP amid redistricting standoff”

October 9, 2025, 7:08 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Indiana Capital Chronicle: Vice President JD Vance is slated to return to the Hoosier State on Friday to meet with Indiana’s Senate Republican caucus as redistricting deliberations appear to be at an impasse. Multiple sources, including two Republican state… Continue reading

“It’s Time to Reform the National Emergencies Act”

October 9, 2025, 7:06 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

At the NYU Democracy Project, William Galston publishes an essay today on reining in presidential emergency powers. Here’s an excerpt: The most important and urgent constitutional issue of our era is the relentless growth of executive power under presidents of… Continue reading

“‘The stakes are quite large’: US supreme court case could gut Voting Rights Act”

October 9, 2025, 7:03 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Sam Levine with a deep dive on Callais for The Guardian.

Dan Weiner on the Brennan Center’s Interesting Amicus Brief in the NRSC Case

October 9, 2025, 7:00 amcampaign finance, political parties, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I asked Dan Weiner of the Brennan Center to write a bit about the interesting position they’ve taken in the NRSC campaign finance case. Here is his guest post: On Monday the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law filed… Continue reading

Big Voter Registration Gap in Youth Voter Registration in Pennsylvania and Elsewhere

October 9, 2025, 6:58 amvoter registrationRick Hasen

New data from The Civics Center:

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