“Trump’s Lawyers Have Assailed Jack Smith. They Could Soon Have Power to Go After Him.”

January 8, 2025, 12:21 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: In many ways, the letter that President-elect Donald J. Trump’s criminal defense lawyers sent to the Justice Department this week was a display of legal and political bombast. The lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, sought in it to … Continue reading

“Judge Cannon Blocks Release of Special Counsel’s Final Report on Trump Documents Investigation”

January 7, 2025, 11:09 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: The federal judge who handled President-elect Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case temporarily barred the special counsel, Jack Smith, on Tuesday from releasing his final report on the investigation to the public. In a brief ruling, Judge Aileen M.… Continue reading

“NC Supreme Court blocks state from certifying Riggs as the winner in high court election”

January 7, 2025, 11:05 amjudicial elections, recountsRick Hasen

News & Observer: The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday blocking the state from certifying a winner in the race for a seat on the high court. Granting the request of Republican Jefferson Griffin, who trails… Continue reading

“Meta is ending its fact-checking program in favor of a ‘community notes’ system similar to X”

January 7, 2025, 7:35 amcheap speechRick Hasen

NBC News: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of major changes to the company’s moderation policies and practices Tuesday, citing a shifting political and social landscape and a desire to embrace free speech. Zuckerberg said that Meta will end… Continue reading

“Federal judge sends Republican challenge of 60,000 ballots back to NC Supreme Court”

January 7, 2025, 7:29 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

News & Observer: In a case that seeks to invalidate over 60,000 ballots cast in North Carolina’s Supreme Court election, a federal judge ruled that the state’s Republican-dominated high court should decide, instead of him. On Monday, U.S. District… Continue reading

“Trump urges Garland to block release of Jack Smith’s final report”

January 7, 2025, 7:27 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Politico: Donald Trump and two of his allies are making a last-minute push to block special counsel Jack Smith from issuing his final report on his two dismissed criminal cases against the president-elect. Trump’s lawyers wrote to Attorney General Merrick… Continue reading

Canadian PM Trudeau Regrets Not Implementing Ranked Choice Voting

January 7, 2025, 7:12 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Video.

“Congress certifies Donald Trump’s election win four years after he inspired a riot”

January 6, 2025, 10:57 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NBC News: Congress on Monday formally certified President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory, exactly four years after he stirred up a mob that attacked the Capitol in a failed attempt to disrupt the certification of his 2020 election loss and… Continue reading

“Trump asks court to delay Friday’s sentencing for his hush money conviction” (and See My Friday Slate Piece with Jeremy Stahl on Why He’s Likely to Get It)

January 6, 2025, 7:03 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

CNN: Donald Trump is appealing Judge Juan Merchan’s two rulings that dismissed his attempts to toss his conviction in the hush money case, and the president-elect is seeking a stay of Friday’s scheduled sentencing. Trump’s appeal comes on the same… Continue reading

“Donald Trump is about to get the Jan. 6 that he denied Joe Biden”

January 6, 2025, 6:58 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Politico: The transfer of power to Donald Trump is shaping up to be, well, peaceful. No mobs are assembling to disrupt Congress’ Jan. 6 counting of electoral votes. No Democratic leaders are questioning the results of the election or concocting… Continue reading

“‘A Day of Love’: How Trump Inverted the Violent History of Jan. 6”

January 6, 2025, 6:56 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: In two weeks, Donald J. Trump is to emerge from an arched portal of the United States Capitol to once again take the presidential oath of office. As the Inauguration Day ritual conveying the peaceful transfer of power unfolds,… Continue reading

“Riggs responds to Griffin’s request to delay certification of the NC Supreme Court election”

January 6, 2025, 6:52 amjudicial elections, recountsRick Hasen

NC Newsline: Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs asked a federal judge to deny Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin’s request for a preliminary injunction in his election case. Riggs, a Democrat, leads Griffin, a Republican, by 734 votes in the race… Continue reading

“The New Year and the Necessity of Constitutional Reform – The Missing Element in Today’s Political Discussion”

January 5, 2025, 7:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Steve Griffin at Balkinization: We have finished yet another election cycle without the major parties and candidates recognizing and addressing the most important issue facing the U.S. today – the necessity of fundamental constitutional and political reform. Whatever you think… Continue reading

“Roberts Calls Court’s Relationship With Congress ‘Strained.’ Who’s to Blame?”

January 3, 2025, 3:41 pmlegislation and legislatures, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Jimmy Hoover for the NLJ. I offered some thoughts in this one: Many commentators say that a similar dynamic is responsible for today’s partisan rancor in light of the Supreme Court’s now solidly 6-3 supermajority of Republican appointees. “The Supreme… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law