Supreme Court Fast-Tracks Potential Demolition of Section 2 of Voting Rights Act by Setting Argument October 15 in Louisiana Case, Possibly in Time to Affect 2026 Midterm Elections

August 12, 2025, 8:20 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

We know the Supreme Court dallied a long time in setting the Louisiana case for reargument, only recently adding a doozy of a question in this racial gerrymandering case that could tee up a potential knocking down of the remaining… Continue reading

“Voter Intimidation: Forging a Judicial Standard”

August 12, 2025, 8:11 amchicanery, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ben Goldstein has written this article for the Journal of Law and Politics. Here is the abstract: In the last few years, federal courts have seen a notable increase in voter intimidation cases. Empirically, instances of voter intimidation, whether litigated… Continue reading

“The D.N.C.’s New Leader Seeks to Curb Dark Money Influence in 2028 Primaries”

August 12, 2025, 7:50 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chairman, is taking a symbolic step toward curbing the influence of undisclosed and corporate funds in his party’s 2028 presidential primary, a move that is likely to instigate a broader conversation about the… Continue reading

“Why a gerrymandering critic wants to toss out California’s maps”

August 12, 2025, 7:38 amredistrictingRick Hasen

California Playbook: Sara Sadhwani is proud of her work on California’s independent redistricting commission, but now she wants voters to tear up the maps she and her colleagues spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours crafting. The Pomona political science professor… Continue reading

“Voting Rights and Private Rights of Action: An Empirical Study of Litigation Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 1982-2024”

August 12, 2025, 7:36 amDepartment of Justice, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Chris Seaman has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, FSU Law Review). Here is the abstract: The Voting Rights Act is perhaps the most effective civil rights law ever enacted, bringing millions of Americans who have historically been discriminated against… Continue reading

Election case curriculum videos

August 11, 2025, 3:02 pmelection law and constitutional law, Supreme Court, theoryJustin Levitt

Justin here. With the semester either beginning or around the corner, I wanted to lift up a series of great videos (illustrated, annotated, featuring case text, etc.) that the incomparable Guy-Uriel Charles and Sasha Natapoff have pulled together. Leading scholars… Continue reading

“Republican Party of Texas sets stage to censure members who stepped out of line in likely bid to block them from primary ballot”

August 11, 2025, 1:08 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: The executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas was in Austin on Saturday to finalize its first-ever legislative review, outlining a list of censurable offenses that some within the Texas GOP want to use to block certain… Continue reading

“Midterms are more than a year away, but Trump is already challenging them | Opinion”

August 11, 2025, 11:46 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Chris Brennan column in USA Today: They’re building the machine now to meddle in the 2026 midterm elections 15 months from now. And those machinations are built on two lessons learned from 2020: Attack the election with everything you… Continue reading

“How Alabama’s historic congressional map still faces uncertainty amid redistricting battles”

August 11, 2025, 8:26 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Al.com: In this sweltering political August, redistricting has become the hot fight of the moment. It’s driving Texas Democrats to flee their state, hunkering down in Illinois while Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatens to have lawmakers removed from office.… Continue reading

“Newsom warns Trump in heated letter he’s ‘playing with fire’ on redistricting”

August 11, 2025, 7:57 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

LA Times: With Democrats lining up for a bare-knuckle match on redistricting, Gov. Gavin Newsom has offered President Trump a cease-fire proposal: No redrawing congressional maps in red states and California will stand down, he wrote in a letter… Continue reading

“What are the Federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines?”

August 11, 2025, 7:55 amelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

New from the Bipartisan Policy Center: he Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) are a set of principles and standards for the election equipment that Americans use to vote. These guidelines help ensure that election outcomes reflect the will of voters,… Continue reading

Looking back at 2021-2022

August 10, 2025, 3:00 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

In light of Rick P’s post about David Shor’s current lament about the failure of Congress to redress gerrymandering back when Democrats were consumed by their efforts to enact the massive S1/HR1 reforms, I recall this column I wrote for… Continue reading

David Shor, Data Analyst for Democrats, with Current and 2022 Posts on Gerrymandering v. Other Voting Issues

August 10, 2025, 11:51 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Campaign Finance Expert Robert E. Mutch (“Bob”), 1940-2022

August 10, 2025, 11:50 amelection law bizRick Hasen

I recently learned that Bob Mutch, who has written the most comprehensive and important histories of campaign finance regulation in the United States, died in August 2022. Bob was a political scientist by training, but he wrote excellent histories of… Continue reading