“Redistricting Push Creates Chaos for Incumbents in Both Parties”

August 31, 2025, 10:50 amredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: When President Trump set out to force a gerrymander in Texas that would help Republicans keep control of the closely divided House, he argued it was a simple matter of fairness. “We are entitled to five more seats,” the… Continue reading

“Trump Says He Will Sign Executive Order Mandating Voter I.D.” (And No, He Doesn’t Have the Power to Mandate Voter ID)

August 31, 2025, 10:46 amauthoritarian threats in US, election administrationRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump said late Saturday that he would issue an executive order to require voter identification for all U.S. elections, a continuation of his efforts to overhaul the nation’s election laws, which he has long attacked and falsely blamed… Continue reading

“If Redistricting Goes as Expected, Which Party Will Come Out Ahead?”

August 31, 2025, 10:43 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Nate Cohn for the NYT: The next phase of the redistricting war is starting to come into focus. Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and perhaps Florida — all Republican-controlled states — seem likely to join Texas and California in attempting to redraw… Continue reading

I Spoke with Dahlia Lithwick for Slate Amicus Podcast on the Risks to the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court and the Emerging Redistricting Wars

August 30, 2025, 1:17 pmredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Slate Plus listeners can find the podcast here.

Federal Court in Kohls v. Bonta, in Striking Down California Deep Fake Law on First Amendment Grounds, Sees Constitutional Path for More Narrowly Tailored Laws Aimed at False Statements About When, Where, and How People Vote

August 30, 2025, 1:13 pmcampaigns, First Amendment theoryRick Hasen

Via Eugene Volokh (who is cited in the court’s opinion), here’s a snippet from Kohls v. Bonta: AB 2839 regulates a broad spectrum of election-related content that is “materially deceptive” and permits any recipient of this content to sue… Continue reading

“Millions of dollars in special-election redistricting TV ads scheduled to start airing Tuesday”

August 30, 2025, 12:47 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, redistrictingRick Hasen

LA Times: Millions of dollars worth of political TV ads are expected to start airing Tuesday in an effort to sway Californians on a November ballot measure seeking to send more Democrats to Congress and counter President Trump and the… Continue reading

“Do Incumbents Still Enjoy a Financial Advantage? How Individuals Ceased to Advantage Incumbents While Corporate America Continues to Favor Them”

August 30, 2025, 5:33 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

This is an important new study from Andrew C. W. Myers, Maria Silfa, Alexander Fouirnaies, and Andrew B. Hall. The paper also illustrates, though it doesn’t emphasize, the role that the rise of donations from individuals — including especially small… Continue reading

Missouri: “Kehoe calls lawmakers to redraw congressional map, make it harder to amend constitution”

August 29, 2025, 3:33 pmdirect democracy, redistrictingRick Hasen

St. Louis Post Dispatch: After weeks of internal talks and a pressure campaign by President Donald Trump, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Friday called lawmakers into a special session beginning next week to redraw the state’s congressional maps. With a… Continue reading

“Lawsuit challenges new proof of citizenship requirement at Ohio BMV for voter registration”

August 29, 2025, 12:32 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Ohio Journal: The women’s political organization Red Wine and Blue has sued Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose over changes to the voter registration process at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Thanks to the federal “motor voter” law, car… Continue reading

“Abbott Signs Gerrymandered Map as Texas G.O.P. Moves Further Right”

August 29, 2025, 11:23 amredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law on Friday a newly gerrymandered map for Texas’ U.S. House districts, openly declaring that the state’s congressional delegation would soon be more Republican. The redistricting push has triggered a scramble in… Continue reading

“A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice won’t run again, creating an open seat”

August 29, 2025, 11:16 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Scott Bauer for AP: A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Friday that she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court that’s controlled 4-3 by liberals. Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision not… Continue reading

The Elections Clause and Campaigns

August 29, 2025, 11:07 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Brad Smith, former FEC Commissioner and (retired) professor of law at Capital University, has long been one of the major advocates for the view that much of campaign-finance regulation violates the First Amendment. In an amicus brief in the NRSC… Continue reading

“Trump and Democrats Float Unusual Midterm Conventions”

August 29, 2025, 7:31 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump suggested on Thursday that the Republican Party should host an unusual national convention ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. “I am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms. It… Continue reading

“Emil Bove Continued to Work at Justice Dept. After Judicial Confirmation”

August 29, 2025, 7:29 amconflict of interest laws, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Emil Bove III, a senior Trump administration official, was narrowly confirmed last month to serve as an appeals court judge, brushing past a bitter confirmation fight despite concerns that he would carry out the president’s directives while on the… Continue reading

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