“Justice Dept. Broadens Inquiry Into Key Players in Russia Investigation”

August 27, 2025, 7:45 amauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Pursuing a theory promoted by Trump loyalists, the Justice Department is investigating whether F.B.I. officials during and after the Biden administration tried to hide or secretly destroy documents that might cast doubt on the earlier inquiry into Russia’s attempt… Continue reading

“Silicon Valley Pledges $200 Million to New Pro-A.I. Super PACs”

August 27, 2025, 7:44 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Silicon Valley corporations and investors, emboldened by President Trump’s embrace of the technology and crypto industries, have pledged up to $200 million to two new super PACs that are aimed at forcing out politicians whom they see as insufficiently… Continue reading

“Trump privately pushed top state lawmakers to redistrict”

August 27, 2025, 7:42 amredistrictingRick Hasen

WaPo: President Donald Trump privately pushed Indiana’s top GOPlawmakers to redraw their state’s congressional maps this week, while outside allies lodged a pressure campaign, part of an increasingly urgent effort to help Republicans preserve their narrow majority in next year’s… Continue reading

“A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers”

August 27, 2025, 7:40 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Wired: In a private group chat in June, dozens of Democratic political influencers discussed whether to take advantage of an enticing opportunity. They were being offered $8,000 per month to take part in a secretive program aimed at bolstering Democratic messaging… Continue reading

“What to Expect Next in the Trump Administration’s Strategy to Meddle with the Vote”

August 27, 2025, 7:37 amauthoritarian threats in US, election administrationRick Hasen

New Brennan Center report: Last Monday, President Trump posted on social media that he would sign an executive order aimed at eliminating mail voting. It would be his second executive order on elections, following a March executive order that,… Continue reading

“Pa. election conspiracy activist appointed to election integrity role at Department of Homeland Security”

August 26, 2025, 10:31 amelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WITF: A Pennsylvania-based activist tied to President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election is now overseeing election security matters for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Heather Honey, of Lebanon County, is serving as the deputy assistant secretary… Continue reading

“Judge rules Utah’s congressional map must be redrawn for the 2026 elections”

August 26, 2025, 9:12 amredistrictingRick Hasen

AP: The Utah Legislature will need to rapidly redraw the state’s congressional boundaries after a judge ruled Monday that the Republican-controlled body circumvented safeguards put in place by voters to ensure districts aren’t drawn to favor any party. The… Continue reading

“How AOC built a Democratic fundraising juggernaut”

August 26, 2025, 7:47 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

CNN: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is building a fundraising juggernaut that is rivaling some of the Democratic Party’s core infrastructure, prompting questions about both her future and the party’s. Small-dollar donations – contributions of less than $200 – are the lifeblood of… Continue reading

Unanimous Third Circuit Panel Holds Unconstitutional Pennsylvania Requirement to Discard Timely Received Mail-in Ballots That Have Wrong or Missing Dates

August 26, 2025, 7:39 amelection administrationRick Hasen

It’s an interesting case that finds only a minimal burden under the Anderson-Burdick balancing test but still finds the state law unconstitutional. Here, the date requirement on timely received ballots was found to serve no government interest. I expect the… Continue reading

“In Private Deal, the D.N.C. Covered $20 Million in Harris Bills Post-Election”

August 25, 2025, 5:08 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Not long after Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election, her senior advisers and the Democratic National Committee struck a handshake deal. Ms. Harris still had bills piling up, and campaign officials had counted on raising more money during a… Continue reading

California: “Republicans again ask Supreme Court to stop Democratic redistricting”

August 25, 2025, 3:31 pmdirect democracy, redistrictingRick Hasen

At the Lectern: California Republicans today filed a second writ petition — Sanchez v. Weber — in the Supreme Court seeking to prevent the electorate from voting in November to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional districts. The court denied … Continue reading

Prominent NJ Academics Urge High Court to take Fusion Challenge

August 25, 2025, 1:31 pmpolitical parties, third partiesNew Jersey, state constitutionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Three established Rutgers professors, one of them a former state attorney general, have written a joint op-ed in the New Jersey Monitor urging the state Supreme Court to take up In Re Malinowski and rule in favor of reviving the… Continue reading

“How China Influences Elections in America’s Biggest City”

August 25, 2025, 12:36 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: In New York City, social clubs backed by China undermined a congressional candidate who once challenged the regime on Chinese television. They helped unseat a state senator for attending a banquet with the president of Taiwan. And they condemned… Continue reading

“Plutocratic Democracy, Elon Musk, and the Limits of Campaign Finance Reform”

August 25, 2025, 12:34 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Guy Charles and Frances Peale have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming in Campaign Finance and the First Amendment, Lee C. Bollinger & Geoffrey R. Stone, Eds., 2025). Here is the abstract: Politicians appear to be increasingly dependent upon a… Continue reading