“Exclusive: Rudy Giuliani interviewed in special counsel’s 2020 election interference probe”

June 28, 2023, 6:59 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

CNN: Former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has been interviewed by federal investigators as part of the special counsel’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. The meeting between Giuliani,… Continue reading

“As Legal Fees Mount, Trump Steers Donations Into PAC That Has Covered Them”

June 25, 2023, 1:06 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Facing multiple intensifying investigations, former President Donald J. Trump has quietly begun diverting more of the money he is raising away from his 2024 presidential campaign and into a political action committee that he has used to pay his… Continue reading

“Today’s Senate: Less debate, fewer votes and taking forever to do it”

June 24, 2023, 12:31 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Paul Kane for WaPo: The world’s greatest deliberative body, as senators like to call their club, is not living up to that moniker: they’re voting less often and taking longer to hold those roll calls, while debating the issues far… Continue reading

“Former Trump Campaign Official in Talks to Cooperate in Jan. 6 Inquiry”

June 23, 2023, 4:58 pmchicanery, election subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

NYT: Michael Roman, a top official in former President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 campaign, is in discussions with the office of the special counsel Jack Smith that could soon lead to Mr. Roman voluntarily answering questions about a plan to… Continue reading

“Exclusive: Special counsel trades immunity for fake elector testimony as Jan 6 probe heats up”

June 23, 2023, 9:40 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

CNN: Special counsel Jack Smith has compelled at least two Republican fake electors to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington in recent weeks by giving them limited immunity, part of a current push by federal prosecutors to swiftly… Continue reading

Justice Alito’s Bad Textualism Extends to His Mangling of Words to Justify Not Reporting a Seat on a Private Jet Paid for by a Billionaire Litigant

June 21, 2023, 7:54 pmconflict of interest laws, ethics investigations, statutory interpretation, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Years ago in conversation with an originalist and textualist, the person I was speaking to defended originalism and textualism as constraining judges. The counterexample on the right was Justice Alito voting his values. The idea is that if all judges… Continue reading

“Should Trump-allied lawyers be punished for 2020 election suits? The jury is still out.”

June 19, 2023, 9:31 amUncategorizedNed Foley

USA Today. In addition to the disciplinary proceedings discussed in this article, there is also the pending matter involving John Eastman.

“Federal Probe Advances Into Trump’s Effort to Reverse 2020 Election”

June 17, 2023, 7:39 amUncategorizedNed Foley

A Wall Street Journal summary of where things currently stand on this investigation: “It isn’t known whether it will result in criminal charges against Trump or anyone else. … “Questions directed at some of those testifying in the postelection investigation… 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

Cleta Mitchell’s Fear of Democracy

May 16, 2023, 7:11 amelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

The New York Times reported last week on an under-the-radar effort pushed by a bunch of Republican-backed dark money groups to enact new voting restrictions in time for the 2024 elections. As the group Documented has shown, in the center… Continue reading

“Atlanta DA Fights Trump’s Bid to End Election Interference Probe”

May 15, 2023, 5:27 pmelectoral collegeDerek Muller

Jan Wolfe in the Wall Street Journal: Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis defended her investigation of Donald Trump, urging a judge to reject the former president’s request to disqualify her from further probing efforts to overturn the November 2020 presidential… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Steve Vladeck: “The Most Troubling Side of the Shadow Docket”

May 15, 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 first of three posts: The subtitle of my new book on the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket,”… Continue reading

“Supreme Court overturns public-corruption conviction of Cuomo aide”

May 11, 2023, 12:00 pmbribery, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

WaPo: The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the 2018 conviction of a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), once again expressing skepticism of the ways federal prosecutors combat public corruption and influence peddling. The justices took… Continue reading

Defamation Suit Against Maxine Waters to Proceed

May 11, 2023, 5:24 amUncategorizedDefamation, Free Speech, state courtsTabatha Abu El-Haj

A California Court of Appeals has ruled that Joe E. Collin III’s defamation suit against Representative Maxine Waters can proceed. The case arises out of the 2020 election when Collins and Waters competed to represent California’s 43rd congressional district. During… Continue reading