“Massachusetts US attorney accused of election meddling and lying”

May 17, 2023, 4:56 pmcampaignsDerek Muller

Reuters: Rachael Rollins, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, improperly used her U.S. Justice Department position to meddle in a local district attorney election by leaking to newspapers dirt about a political rival – one of many ethics violations… Continue reading

“Jury splits verdicts for former inmate charged with Florida voter fraud crimes”

May 17, 2023, 9:30 amelection administration, felon voting, voter registrationDerek Muller

Gainesville Sun: Another Florida man has been sentenced for election-related voter fraud crimes following a fraud investigation in Alachua County. After a day-long trial John Boyd Rivers was found guilty of willfully voting as an unqualified elector, but not… Continue reading

“Why Kari Lake is still, six months after losing, in Arizona courts arguing the 2022 election was stolen”

May 17, 2023, 9:30 amelection administrationDerek Muller

Jen Fifield at Votebeat with a deep dive into the process, claims remaining, and time frame: GOP candidates for Arizona’s top offices who claim the November election was stolen from them have spent months presenting shape-shifting arguments in court —… Continue reading

The South Carolina Racial Gerrymandering Case

May 17, 2023, 7:42 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a racial gerrymandering case involving South Carolina’s First Congressional District. At first glance, the issue presented in the case is fairly conventional: Did race or partisan advantage predominantly explain the First… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Steve Vladeck: “How the Shadow Docket Came Full Circle in the 2022 Redistricting Cases”

May 17, 2023, 7:00 amELB Book Corner, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome to ELB Book Corner Steve Vladeck, author of the new book, The Shadow Docket. Here is the last of three posts: After introducing Purcell and how the Court used it inconsistently in the… Continue reading

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upholds AG’s ruling striking campaign finance ballot question

May 17, 2023, 5:11 amcampaign finance, voter initiativesDerek Muller

From the Eagle-Tribune: The state’s highest court upheld a decision by the Attorney General’s office to reject a ballot question calling for limits on campaign spending by political action committees. In ruling issued Tuesday, the state Supreme Judicial Court… Continue reading

“Former Giuliani employee alleges sexual assault and harassment in $10 million lawsuit” (and includes details about 2020 election litigation)

May 17, 2023, 5:09 amfraudulent fraud squadDerek Muller

Politico has the background on the sexual harassment lawsuit. But the complaint also includes a couple of specific allegations about the 2020 election and litigation strategies around it. 124. On February 7, 2019, Giuliani told Ms. Dunphy to take a… Continue reading

“Wisconsin judge rejects request to break up lawsuit targeting false Trump electors”

May 17, 2023, 5:08 amelectoral collegeDerek Muller

WisPolitics has the order here.

“Michigan Democrats’ early campaign finance bills bolster union influence”

May 16, 2023, 2:53 pmcampaign financeDerek Muller

Craig Mauger for the Detroit News: A committee within the Democrat-controlled Michigan House advanced bills Tuesday that would help labor unions, which frequently support Democratic lawmakers’ campaigns, raise money for political contributions. Democrats won control of both the state… Continue reading

“Alaska Redistricting Board adopts final political map after landmark gerrymandering ruling”

May 16, 2023, 2:53 pmredistrictingDerek Muller

Anchorage Daily News: The Alaska Redistricting Board unanimously approved the state’s final political map Monday after twice being found engaging in unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. In a landmark decision in April, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled explicitly for the first… Continue reading

If computer security experts discover flaws in voting machines, should they be publicly disclosed?

May 16, 2023, 2:53 pmvoting technologyDerek Muller

Over at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy “Freedom to Tinker,” some thoughts on expert reports in the courts identifying security flaws in voting machines and why those reports should not remain under seal.

Primary Turnout is the Real Philadelphia Story

May 16, 2023, 12:45 pmprimariesranked choice voting, voter turnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the most encouraging estimates are that turnout in Philadelphia’s mayoral race will be in the “200,000s or low 300,000s.” Based on competitiveness and Democratic registration advantage in the city, we can assume… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court rules Marsy’s Law was properly enacted into law”

May 16, 2023, 9:14 amvoter initiativesDerek Muller

Molly Beck in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Wisconsin Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law aimed at expanding and strengthening the rights of crime victims. The 6-1 decision released Tuesday by… Continue reading

“Kari Lake’s latest election challenge on ballot envelope signatures is headed to trial”

May 16, 2023, 9:13 amabsentee ballotsDerek Muller

Arizona Republic: Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is headed for a second trial in her election challenge, a case that has lasted nearly seven months beyond her loss to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs in November. In a ruling… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law