“Justice Dept. Moving to Downsize Units Investigating Fraud and Corruption”

March 13, 2025, 6:41 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Justice Department officials are drafting plans to broadly restructure — and significantly downsize — several key units in Washington responsible for investigating cases of fraud and public corruption, according to three people briefed on the changes. The plans, which… Continue reading

“Trump Pardons Ex-Tennessee State Senator Imprisoned for Campaign Fraud”

March 12, 2025, 5:51 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump has pardoned an imprisoned former Tennessee state senator who was two weeks into a 21-month sentence for his role in a campaign finance fraud scheme. Inmate records show that the former lawmaker, Brian Kelsey, a Republican,… Continue reading

“Judge blocks key provisions of Trump’s bid to punish Democratic-linked law firm”

March 12, 2025, 4:48 pmauthoritarian threats in US, election law bizRick Hasen

Politico: President Donald Trump’s retaliation against a prominent Democratic-linked law firm is likely unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell blocked the Trump administration from enforcing central provisions of an executive order that seeks to… Continue reading

“Utah Was a Rare Red State to Champion Mail Voting. That Era Is Likely Ending.”

March 12, 2025, 4:40 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

Bolts reports.

“Privacy Violations in Election Results”

March 12, 2025, 12:24 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

New paper in Science Advances from Shiro Kuriwaki, Jeff Lewis,, and Michael Morse. Abstract: After an election, should election officials release a copy of each anonymous ballot? Some policy-makers have championed public disclosure to counter distrust, but others worry that… Continue reading

“Oligarchy, State, and Cryptopia”

March 12, 2025, 12:20 pmPlutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Julie Cohen has posted this important draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Theoretical accounts of power in networked digital environments typically do not give systematic attention to the phenomenon of oligarchy—to extreme concentrations of material wealth deployed to obtain… Continue reading

“US Rise of Cryptocurrency and Fall of Regulation Pose ‘Profound Risks’–Report”

March 12, 2025, 12:18 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

The Guardian: A new report warns of “profound risks” in American politics as cryptocurrency companies increase their political spending and Donald Trump oversees regulatory retreatwhile promising to create a “crypto strategic reserve”. The situation “illustrate[s] the profound risks that unchecked… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “Madison city clerk placed on leave ahead of April election”

March 12, 2025, 9:08 amelection administrationRick Hasen

WKOW: The Madison city clerk, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, has been placed on paid administrative leave ahead of the April 1 spring general election. In an email sent to some election workers Wednesday morning, a worker at the clerk’s office described the… Continue reading

Perkins Coie Web Page on Its Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration

March 12, 2025, 9:06 amauthoritarian threats in US, election law bizRick Hasen

You can find relevant documents here.

“Colorado calls DOJ interest in Tina Peters’ case a ‘grotesque attempt to weaponize the rule of law”

March 12, 2025, 7:44 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Colorado Public Radio: Colorado is asking a federal judge in Denver to reject the U.S. Justice Department’s statement of interest in the case of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. In its filing, the state writes that the DOJ intervention… Continue reading

“Can We Save American Democracy?”

March 12, 2025, 7:33 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion riskRick Hasen

March 26 online event at the Ash Center (Harvard): In a recent article, Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government at Harvard University and co-author of How Democracies Die, predicts that “U.S. democracy will likely break down during the second… Continue reading

“Assessing Gerrymandering after the 2020 Census”

March 12, 2025, 7:31 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Daniel Magleby and Michael D. McDonald have written this draft for ELJ. Here is the abstract: The Roberts Court has turned over efforts to limit gerrymanders to politics and willing state courts. Scholars have proposed several methods for evaluating… Continue reading

“Musk Seeks to Put $100 Million Directly Into Trump Political Operation”

March 11, 2025, 6:43 pmconflict of interest laws, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk has signaled to President Trump’s advisers in recent days that he wants to put $100 million into groups controlled by the Trump political operation, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. It is unheard-of for… Continue reading

ELB 6:6: What Do Documentary Proof of Citizenship Laws Accomplish? (Fontes, Olson, Perales)

March 11, 2025, 2:20 pmELB Podcast, election administrationRick Hasen

Season 6, Episode 6 of the ELB Podcast: Do documentary proof of citizenship laws stop a lot of illegal voting or suppress the votes of eligible voters? How have such laws been implemented in the state of Arizona and elsewhere?… Continue reading