The Trump-Mandami Era

November 9, 2025, 8:56 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

The WSJ published an article on Friday, based on last week’s elections, rightly titled: Americans See a Government That Can’t Solve Their Problems. Here’s the opening line: “U.S. elections are sending a consistent message: Americans are deeply frustrated with… Continue reading

Republicans Ask for Preliminary Injunction in Prop 50 Case (It May Not All Get Resolved in Time for 2026 Elections)

November 8, 2025, 8:01 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Here’s the motion. More from Michael Li.

“Only 2 DOJ election monitors in Fresno County for Prop 50 vote, despite controversy”

November 8, 2025, 7:56 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

The Fresno Bee reports.

“Why Democrats Could Win the Redistricting War”

November 7, 2025, 9:41 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Nate Cohn for NYT’s The Tilt: Republicans have had an advantage in this year’s redistricting wars because they control the redistricting process in states with more Democratic-held congressional seats. But this advantage is starting to look shaky — shaky enough… Continue reading

“Five Ways Tuesday’s Results Will Affect Voting Rules and Democracy”

November 6, 2025, 4:33 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

New at Bolts.

“Gavin Newsom Just Proved It: Voters Want Democrats to Fight Fire With Fire”

November 6, 2025, 1:32 pmReal Right to Vote, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: If Democrats and those on the left want to draw one lesson from the lopsided 64–36 victory of Proposition 50 in California earlier this week, it is that the public understands… Continue reading

“Two Republican Incumbents Will Face Off as Red Turf Shrinks in California”

November 6, 2025, 7:47 amredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: A day after California voters shrunk the number of safe Republican House seats through a Democratic gerrymander, two endangered incumbents said they would square off against each other in a high-stakes bid for political survival next year. Representative Ken… Continue reading

“Kansas mayor charged with alleged voter fraud; state leader says ‘hundreds’ more cases expected”

November 6, 2025, 7:43 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Kansas Reflector: The mayor of a small south-central Kansas town has been charged with committing fraud by voting in elections since 2022 even though he is not a United States citizen, the state’s attorney general and secretary of state said… Continue reading

Watch Video of My “America at a Crossroads” Conversation with Larry Mantle on Prop 50, Redistricting Litigation, and the Integrity of the 2026 Midterm Elections

November 6, 2025, 7:35 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Here on Youtube:

“Cyclical Misalignment: A History of Campaign Finance Law”

November 6, 2025, 7:29 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Tony Gaughan has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Ohio State Law Journal). Here is the abstract: The role of money in politics poses a thorny challenge to democratic government. In a healthy democracy, individual voters should have an equal… Continue reading

“Professor Pildes: Effective Government Is the Forgotten Pillar of Democracy”

November 6, 2025, 5:46 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

I did this extended interview for the European Center for Populism Studies. Here is their summary: In an interview with the ECPS, Professor Richard H. Pildes, one of America’s leading constitutional scholars, warns that democracy’s survival depends not only on… Continue reading

“Republicans Swiftly File Lawsuit in Bid to Block California’s New House Maps”

November 5, 2025, 4:15 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: The lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses California of violating the Constitution “when it drew new congressional district lines based on race, specifically to favor Hispanic voters, without cause or evidence to justify it.” The lawsuit points to statements made… Continue reading

“Redistricting Battles, Set Off by Trump, Have Few Parallels in U.S. History”

November 5, 2025, 1:29 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: But election lawyers and experts say that what is happening now is a crisis with few parallels in American history, especially given the potential weakening of the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court is expected to rule on… Continue reading