“Democrats Meddle Again in a G.O.P. Primary, This Time Down-Ballot”

February 14, 2023, 7:37 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Last year, Democrats spent millions of dollars elevating far-right candidates in Republican primary contests for governor and Congress — betting, it turned out correctly, that more extreme opponents would lose general elections. Now Wisconsin Democrats are trying to… Continue reading

“Combating Disinformation Wanes at Social Media Giants”

February 14, 2023, 7:27 amcheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: YouTube, like other social media platforms, spent years expanding its efforts to tackle misinformation after the 2016 election. It hired policy experts and content moderators and invested in more technology to limit the reach of false narratives. Not anymore.… Continue reading

“Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on Trump’s 2020 election denial”

February 14, 2023, 7:23 amlegislation and legislatures, Speech or Debate ClauseRick Hasen

Politico: Mike Pence is preparing to resist a grand jury subpoena for testimony about former President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the former vice president’s thinking. Pence’s decision to challenge Special… Continue reading

“Minnesota must let sun shine on campaign cash”

February 14, 2023, 7:21 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

George Beck oped: Eight in 10 Minnesotans support making the identities of contributors to political campaigns public. They realize that who provides money to a campaign is an important factor to consider in deciding whether to support a candidate. It… Continue reading

“Fulton judge: Portions of Trump grand jury report to be released this week”

February 13, 2023, 8:05 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AJC: A Fulton County judge said Monday that he planned to keep private portions of a special grand jury report that recommends specific individuals be indicted following an eight-month criminal probe that examined whether former President Donald Trump and his… Continue reading

“Jack Smith, Special Counsel for Trump Inquiries, Steps Up the Pace”

February 13, 2023, 7:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Did former President Donald J. Trump consume detailed information about foreign countries while in office? How extensively did he seek information about whether voting machines had been tampered with? Did he indicate he knew he was leaving when his… Continue reading

“GOP election tactics no surprise to Wisconsin’s Black voters”

February 13, 2023, 7:47 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: Recent revelations about Republican election strategies targeting minority communities in Wisconsin’s biggest city came as no surprise to many Black voters. A Wisconsin election commissioner bragged about low turnout in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods during last year’s… Continue reading

“Defiant Kari Lake carries election denier banner across Iowa amid divided GOP”

February 13, 2023, 7:45 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: For two days, Kari Lake traversed this state with a clear message. She falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. She baselessly insisted that votes were rigged against her in her run for Arizona governor… Continue reading

“Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race is expected to top $6 million in spending. And that’s just for the primary.”

February 13, 2023, 7:39 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin’s officially non-partisan Supreme Court race is getting big money from outside interest groups in one of the hotly contested races in the country. With less than two weeks to go, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court candidates and outside groups… Continue reading

“Column: In Arizona, a crackpot gets promoted and underscores the danger to democracy”

February 13, 2023, 7:37 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Mark Barabak LAT column: Meet Wendy Rogers. Her political credentials include antisemitism, a hyperactive promotion of outlandish conspiracy theories, a fondness for the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Vladimir Putin, and consorting with the outspoken racist and white nationalist… Continue reading

“George Santos and the Case of the Missing $365,000”

February 13, 2023, 7:26 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Representative George Santos has spent his campaign money in plenty of conspicuous ways, from lavish hotel stays in Las Vegas and Palm Beach, Fla., to an unusual slew of payments for exactly $199.99 — two cents below the threshold where receipts would… Continue reading

“The ‘Stop the Steal’ Fight That Never Ended; A State Supreme Court Justice reveals the long-term toll of calling out the Big Lie”

February 13, 2023, 7:24 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Dahlia Lithwick speaks to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky for the Slate Amicus podcast.

“Trump campaign paid researchers to prove 2020 fraud but kept findings secret”

February 12, 2023, 7:38 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Former president Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign commissioned an outside research firm in a bid to prove electoral-fraud claims but never released the findings because the firm disputed many of his theories and could not offer any proof that… Continue reading

North Carolina Supreme Court Schedules March 14 Oral Argument in Rehearing in Harper, the Partisan Gerrymandering Case that Could Moot Moore v. Harper (the Independent State Legislature Case) at SCOTUS

February 10, 2023, 10:09 amlegislation and legislatures, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Here is the order. That gives plenty of time for the North Carolina Supreme Court to do what I expect, which is to reverse the earlier holding that partisan gerrymandering violates the North Carolina constitution, before the Supreme Court… Continue reading