“House of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Administration Burns Down”

October 6, 2025, 7:33 ampolitical violenceRick Hasen

Time: Police are investigating the cause of a fire that burned down the home of South Carolina Circuit Court judge Diane Goodstein, who had reportedly received death threats for weeks related to her work. State law enforcement is investigating the… Continue reading

“Bow to the Emperor’: We Asked 50 Legal Experts About the Trump Presidency”

October 6, 2025, 7:21 amauthoritarian threats in US, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

Emily Bazelon for the NYT: Last year, in the months before the 2024 presidential election, the magazine surveyed 50 members of what might be called the Washington legal establishment about their expectations for the Justice Department and the rule of… Continue reading

This Week’s Essays in the NYU Democracy Project Series Features Several Essays on the Supreme Court

October 6, 2025, 6:33 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

With the start of the Supreme Court Term, the NYU Democracy Project is publishing several essays this week on the Court. The first of these, Enshrine Nine, comes from Ed Whelan, who argues for a constitutional amendment fixing the… Continue reading

“Abcarian: Does Donald Trump really think he can run for president again in 2028?”

October 5, 2025, 10:09 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Robin Abcarian in the LA Times: At this point, the Constitution seems less a constraint than a mere sticking point for Trump as he smashmouths his way past anything that impedes his heart’s desires. “I think the scenario in… Continue reading

“Partisan Shutdown Messages Could Hurt Civil Service, Experts Warn”

October 4, 2025, 2:33 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: The Trump administration’s levying of political attacks on Democrats through federal agency websites and the out-of-office email messages of furloughed workers challenges the foundation of a nonpartisan civil service, a move that could deepen distrust in the government, according… Continue reading

“Electronic Voting: 10th International Joint Conference, E-Vote-ID 2025, Nancy, France, October 1–3, 2025, Proceedings”

October 4, 2025, 8:55 amvoting technologyRick Hasen

Now available.

“Long Island Republicans criticized for filing lawsuit to keep missing Democratic candidate’s name on ballot”

October 4, 2025, 8:51 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

CBS News: Republicans on Long Island are under fire after they filed a lawsuit to keep the name of a Democrat running for the Nassau County Legislature on the ballot even though he has been missing for over five months.… Continue reading

“Democracies in the Age of Fragmentation”

October 4, 2025, 6:44 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Here is an excerpt from my essay this week in NYU’s Democracy Project series of essays on challenges facing democracy today, both here and elsewhere: Writing from Mussolini’s prison in 1930, the Italian political theorist Antonio Gramsci observed of democracies… Continue reading

“Progressives and the Supreme Court: The Case for Disengagement Is Misguided”

October 4, 2025, 6:24 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Next, here is an excerpt from Bob Bauer’s essay in the NYU Democracy Project’s series of 100 essays in 100 days: …I entirely agree with critics who are very troubled by aspects of this [presidential immunity] opinion, including its holding… Continue reading

“Democracy Without Stabilizers”

October 4, 2025, 6:18 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Among other essays we published this week at NYU’s Democracy Project, we published three essays from the three of us who founded and direct the Project — Bob Bauer, Sam Issacharoff, and me. I’ll blog about each piece separately,… Continue reading

“Maryland House speaker says ‘now is the time’ to take up redistricting”

October 3, 2025, 1:20 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Baltimore Banner: The leader of Maryland’s House of Delegates is pushing her colleagues on redistricting, saying she is “eager” and “willing” to consider redrawing congressional lines to help match changes made in GOP-controlled states. House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones’… Continue reading

“Richard Bernstein To Elect Is to Choose: Election Day Sets When Mail-In Voters Must Mail Their Choices”

October 3, 2025, 1:18 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Richard Bernstein has posted this draft article. From the summary: Perhaps the legal issue that will affect the most votes in upcoming federal elections is whether, in a federal election, a statute of a state or D.C. may permit… Continue reading

More litigation over federal access to the voter files (and and and)

October 3, 2025, 11:45 amDepartment of Justice, voter registrationprivacy actJustin Levitt

On Tuesday, a group of nonprofits and private citizens sued DHS, SSA, and DOJ, alleging “a months-long campaign to access, collect, and consolidate vast troves of personal data about millions of U.S. citizens and residents stored at multiple federal agencies,”… Continue reading

The Filibuster and the Shutdown

October 3, 2025, 10:23 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Over at Balkinization, David Super, a congressional process expert, has these comments about why preservation of the filibuster is, in his view, in the best interests of both parties. Thus, Super suggests Republicans are unlikely to end the filibuster to… Continue reading