[EL] ELB News and Commentary 2/3/12

[Smith, Brad]

"Colbert v. the Court: Why, in the battle over Citizens United, the Supreme Court never had a chance."
Posted on February 2, 2012 7:24 pm by Rick Hasen
Dahlia's latest.

One reason Ms. Lithwick doesn't touch on, as to why the Supreme Court "never had a chance," is the coverage by the press - herself included - which has generally been biased, uninformed, incomplete, or some combination of the three when it comes to SuperPACs, Citizens United, and political spending.  Obviously, it is not the press's job to carry water for the Supreme Court - that's not what I'm asking. But as happens over and over, the press does a poor job informing the public, and Ms. Lithwick, I have found, is no exception to that rule. So it seems rather odd to publish such a column.

Meanwhile, it's further evidence as to why political spending is a good thing - the press simply cannot be counted on to inform the public well on almost any issue.

Bradley A. Smith
Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault
  Designated Professor of Law
Capital University Law School
303 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 236-6317
bsmith at law.capital.edu<mailto:bsmith at law.capital.edu>
http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Rick Hasen
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 10:40 AM
To: law-election at UCI.edu
Subject: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 2/3/12

"Some Wealthy Donors Drop Obama for Romney"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29166>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:36 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29166> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call reports<http://www.rollcall.com/news/some_wealthy_donors_drop_obama_for_romney-212079-1.html?pos=htmbtxt>.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29166&title=%E2%80%9CSome%20Wealthy%20Donors%20Drop%20Obama%20for%20Romney%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
The New York Times Needs Your Help with Super PAC Donors.<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29164>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:35 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29164> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Seriously<http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/a-crowdsourcing-experiment-help-us-discover-a-secret-donor/?src=tp>.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29164&title=The%20New%20York%20Times%20Needs%20Your%20Help%20with%20Super%20PAC%20Donors.&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
NAACP's Chavis: Proposed VA Voter ID Law is "Lynch Democracy"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29160>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:28 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29160> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Strong words<http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-news/2012/jan/31/1/at-capitol-rally-nearly-300-decry-voter-id-bills-ar-1652900/>, and reminiscent of the recent controversy<http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/jun/09/debbie-wasserman-schultz/debbie-wasserman-schultz-compares-gop-backed-votin/> over Rep. Wasserman-Schultz's Jim Crow remark.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29160&title=NAACP%E2%80%99s%20Chavis%3A%20Proposed%20VA%20Voter%20ID%20Law%20is%20%E2%80%9CLynch%20Democracy%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off
"Lawyers Rank Third on Obama Donor List Even With Lobbying Ties"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29158>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:25 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29158> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Bloomberg reports<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-03/lawyers-rank-third-on-obama-donor-list-even-with-lobbying-ties.html>.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29158&title=%E2%80%9CLawyers%20Rank%20Third%20on%20Obama%20Donor%20List%20Even%20With%20Lobbying%20Ties%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
"Scott Brown pays own daughter Ayla to sing"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29155>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:22 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29155> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico reports<http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72412.html>.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29155&title=%E2%80%9CScott%20Brown%20pays%20own%20daughter%20Ayla%20to%20sing%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, chicanery<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12> | Comments Off
"A Symbol of Democracy Is Criticized as Undemocratic"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29153>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:21 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29153> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The New York Times notices<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/us/politics/after-iowa-reliability-is-questioned-in-caucus-system.html?_r=1&ref=politics> how bad <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=28259> the Iowa caucuses are run.

MORE: Don't expect better<http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/03/all_you_need_to_know_about_the_nevada_caucuses.html> from Nevada.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29153&title=%E2%80%9CA%20Symbol%20of%20Democracy%20Is%20Criticized%20as%20Undemocratic%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
"Oregon Escapes Notice in Voter Photo ID Battle"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29151>
Posted on February 3, 2012 7:19 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29151> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This item <http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.com/news/article/oregon-escapes-notice-in-voter-photo-id-battle> appears at the Rothenberg Political Report.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29151&title=%E2%80%9COregon%20Escapes%20Notice%20in%20Voter%20Photo%20ID%20Battle%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, voter id<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off
"Colbert v. the Court: Why, in the battle over Citizens United, the Supreme Court never had a chance."<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29148>
Posted on February 2, 2012 7:24 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29148> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Dahlia's latest<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/02/stephen_colbert_is_winning_the_war_against_the_supreme_court_and_citizens_united_.html>.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29148&title=%E2%80%9CColbert%20v.%20the%20Court%3A%20Why%2C%20in%20the%20battle%20over%20Citizens%20United%2C%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20never%20had%20a%20chance.%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, Supreme Court<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29> | Comments Off
How the STOCK Act Bill Almost-But Avoided-Becoming an Ethics Bill Free-for-All<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29146>
Posted on February 2, 2012 7:22 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29146> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Must read<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/minor-senate-bill-sparks-major-debate-on-ethics/2012/02/01/gIQAsW9kkQ_story.html> WaPo.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29146&title=How%20the%20STOCK%20Act%20Bill%20Almost%E2%80%93But%20Avoided%E2%80%93Becoming%20an%20Ethics%20Bill%20Free-for-All&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, legislation and legislatures<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, lobbying<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28> | Comments Off
"Corporations are sending more contributions to super PACs"<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29143>
Posted on February 2, 2012 7:20 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=29143> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Tim Farnam writes<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/corporations-are-sending-more-contributions-to-super-pacs/2012/02/02/gIQAL4dYlQ_story.html> for WaPo.
[Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D29143&title=%E2%80%9CCorporations%20are%20sending%20more%20contributions%20to%20super%20PACs%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
--
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
949.824.0495 - fax
rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>
http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20120203/9d0c9b35/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1520 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20120203/9d0c9b35/attachment.png>