[EL] ELB News and Commentary 1/3/13

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Thu Jan 3 20:36:55 PST 2013


    "Verrilli Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Cap on Federal Campaign
    Contributions" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45881>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:31 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45881> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Bloomberg BNA 
<http://news.bna.com/mpdm/MPDMWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=29016852&vname=mpebulallissues&jd=a0d5x0p9k8&split=0>: 
"The Supreme Court was urged to uphold the aggregate limit on federal 
campaign contributions in a Jan. 2 government filing 
<http://www.fec.gov/law/litigation/mccutcheon_sc_fec_mtd.pdf>. The 
filing came in response to a challenge pending before the high court 
brought by the Republican National Committee and GOP contributor Shaun 
McCutcheon (McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, U.S., No. 12-536, 
motion to dismiss or affirm filed 1/2/13)."

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Supreme Court to Consider Campaign Finance Case Friday"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45879>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:30 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45879> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

CCP backgrounder 
<http://www.campaignfreedom.org/2013/01/03/supreme-court-to-consider-campaign-finance-case-friday/> 
on /Real Truth About Abortion/ cert petition.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "FEC Needs To Enforce Campaign Finance Law"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45876>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:25 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45876> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Meredith McGehee vlogs 
<http://politix.topix.com/homepage/4011-fec-needs-to-enforce-campaign-finance-law> 
at Politix.

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    "Op-Ed: Harry Reid's filibuster plan and the Supreme Court"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45873>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:23 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45873> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Steven Duffield:

    The most dramatic impact of the Reid Plan will be with regard to the
    Supreme Court, where the House of Representatives plays no
    constitutional role. President Obama will likely fill between one
    and three Supreme Court vacancies in the next four years, and he
    will be under enormous pressure from his base to nominate
    doctrinaire liberals who will reverse the decision upholding the
    partial-birth abortion ban, weaken personal liberties protected in
    the Bill of Rights, and eliminate the modest limitations on
    congressional power that the Rehnquist and Roberts courts have restored.

    Senate conservatives will strongly oppose such a nominee.
    Conservatives already used their rights to extend debate to
    effectively block lower-court nominees such as "living Constitution"
    advocate Goodwin Liu and the highly controversial Caitlin Halligan.
    Each will be on the president's shortlist for the Supreme Court. Yet
    if the Reid Plan is in effect, senators will be powerless to prevent
    the appointment of Liu, Halligan or similar judicial activists,
    because the 60-vote threshold will be gone and Obama's party will
    just fall in line behind his choice.

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Posted in legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, political parties 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political polarization 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>, Supreme Court 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29> | Comments Off


    "Merkley, Udall Release Filibuster Reform Plan, Claim Between 48 and
    51 Votes" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45869>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:18 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45869> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Weigel reports. 
<http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/01/03/merkley_udall_release_filibuster_reform_plan_claim_between_48_and_51_votes.html>

<http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/01/03/merkley_udall_release_filibuster_reform_plan_claim_between_48_and_51_votes.html> 

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Posted in legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27> | Comments Off


    "States Target Politically Active Nonprofits"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45867>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:17 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45867> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call reports. 
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/states_target_politically_active_nonprofits-220544-1.html?pos=hbtxt>

<http://www.rollcall.com/news/states_target_politically_active_nonprofits-220544-1.html?pos=hbtxt> 

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    "'Straw Company' Complaints to FEC & DOJ Supplemented With
    Additional Information Regarding Funder & FreedomWorks' Role"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45862>

Posted on January 3, 2013 8:01 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45862> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

See this press release. 
<http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2004:january-3-2013-straw-company-complaints-to-fec-a-doj-supplemented-with-additional-information-regarding-funder-a-freedomworks-role-&catid=63:legal-center-press-releases&Itemid=61>

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d%0A%0AArizona%2C%20Georgia%2C%20South%20Carolina%20and%20South%20Dakota%0A%0ACato%20Institute%0A%0AFormer%20Government%20Officials%0A%0AJohn%20Nix%2C%20Anthony%20Cuomo%0Aand%20Dr.%20Abigail%20Thernstrom%0A%0AJudicial%20Education%20Project%0A%0AJustice%20and%20Freedom%20Fund%0A%0ALandmark%20Legal%20Foundation%0A%0AMountain%20States%20Legal%20Foundation%0A%0ANational%20Black%20Chamber%20of%20Commerce%0A%0APacific%20Legal%20Foundation%2C%20Center%20for%20Equal%20Opportunity%2C%20and%20American%20Civil%20Rights%20Foundation%0A%0AProject%2021%0A%0AReason%20Foundation%0A%0ASoutheastern%20Legal%20Foundation%0A%0ATexas%0A%0AHere%20is%20how%20Alabama%E2%80%99s%20brief%20begins%3A%0A%0A%20%20%20%20In%202013%2C%20there%20should%20not%20be%20the%20Uncovered%20States%20of%20America%20and%20the%20Covered%20States%20of%20America.%20There%20should%20be%20the%20United%20States%20of%20America.%20Other%20States%20have%20persuasively%20explained%20why%20their%20experiences%20support%20this%20proposition.%20This%20brief%20provides%20Alabama%E2%80%99s%20own%2C%20unique%20perspective.%20George%20Wallace%20and%20Bull%20Connor%20used%20to%20be%20in%20Alabama%2C%20and%20Selma%20and%20the%20Edmund%20Pettus%20Bridge%20still%20are.%20These%20people%20and%20places%20were%20particularly%20responsible%20for%20making%20the%20preclearance%20mechanism%20necessary%20and%20appropriate%20in%201965.%20Things%20that%20have%20happened%20in%20Alabama%20in%20the%20meantime%20should%20thus%20be%20particularly%20instructive%20in%20determining%20whether%20Congress%20can%20employ%20the%20same%20extraordinary%20measure%20now.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20Alabama%E2%80%99s%20experience%20on%20these%20fronts%20is%20consistent%20with%20the%20Court%E2%80%99s%20assessment%20four%20Terms%20ago.%20Things%20in%20the%20South%20have%2C%20indeed%2C%20changed.%20See%20Nw.%20Austin%20Mun.%20Utility%20Dist.%20No.%20One%20v.%20Holder%2C%20557%20U.S.%20193%2C%20202%20%282009%29.%20Alabama%20has%20a%20new%20generation%20of%20leaders%20with%20no%20connection%20to%20the%20tragic%20events%20of%201965.%20The%20effects%20of%20those%20events%20on%20voting%20and%20political%20representation%20have%20now%2C%20thankfully%2C%20faded%20away.%20These%20on-the-ground%20realities%20show%20that%20the%202006%20Congress%20abdicated%20its%20constitutional%20responsibilities%20when%20it%20simply%20reimposed%2C%20on%20Alabama%20and%20other%20States%20ready%20to%20be%20equal%20partners%20in%20the%20Union%2C%20burdens%20that%20previously%20were%20necessary%20and%20appropriate%20only%20because%20of%20a%20defiance%20and%20recalcitrance%20whose%20vestiges%20no%20longer%20exist.%0A%0AShare%0APosted%20in%20Department%20of%20Justice%2C%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%09%7C%20Comments%20Off%0A%E2%80%9CDirector%E2%80%99s%20Note%3A%20Resolutions%20for%202013%E2%80%B3%0APosted%20on%20January%203%2C%202013%207%3A49%20pm%20by%20Rick%20Hasen%0A%0ADoug%20Chapin%20reflects%20at%20Electionline%20Weekly.%0AShare%0APosted%20in%20election%20administration%09%7C%20Comments%20Off%0A%E2%80%9CQualcomm%20Sued%20Over%20Political-Giving%20Records%E2%80%9D%0APosted%20on%20January%203%2C%202013%207%3A41%20pm%20by%20Rick%20Hasen%0A%0AWSJ%3A%20%E2%80%9CNew%20York%E2%80%99s%20public%20pension%20fund%20filed%20a%20lawsuit%20against%20Qualcomm%20Inc.%20in%20an%20unusual%20effort%20to%20force%20the%20wireless-technology%20company%20to%20disclose%20what%20it%20spends%20on%20political%20causes.%20The%20lawsuit%2C%20which%20legal%20experts%20say%20could%20have%20a%20significant%20impact%20on%20corporate%20political%20giving%2C%20alleges%20that%20Qualcomm%20has%20declined%20to%20disclose%20its%20political%20donations%2C%20despite%20a%20formal%20request%20by%20the%20pension%20fund%20and%20other%20institutional%20investors.%20The%20fund%2C%20invoking%20a%20Delaware%20law%20that%20requires%20certain%20corporate%20disclosures%2C%20wants%20the%20company%20to%20open%20up%20its%20books%20and%20records%20so%20it%20can%20see%20how%20much%20Qualcomm%20donates.%E2%80%9D%0A%0AUPDATE%3A%20See%20also%20this%20NY%20Times%20report.%0AShare%0APosted%20in%20campaign%20finance%09%7C%20Comments%20Off%0A%E2%80%9CAllow%20the%20Oscars%20to%20explain%20why%20we%20should%20never%2C%20ever%20e-vote%20in%20a%20national%20election%E2%80%9D%0APosted%20on%20January%203%2C%202013%207%3A35%20pm%20by%20Rick%20Hasen%0A%0ABoing%20boing%20explains.%0AShare%0APosted%20in%20internet%20voting%2C%20voting%20technology%09%7C%20Comments%20Off%0A%E2%80%9CU.S.%20Supreme%20Court%20Poised%20To%20Determine%20Constitutionality%20of%20Section%205%20of%20the%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%3B%20Merced%20County%20Files%20Amicus%20Brief%20Defending%20Its%20Bailout%20From%20Section%205%20Coverage.%E2%80%9D%0APosted%20on%20January%203%2C%202013%207%3A28%20pm%20by%20Rick%20Hasen%0A%0APress%20release%3A%0A%0A%20%20%20%20On%20January%202%2C%202013%2C%20two%20of%20Nielsen%20Merksamer%E2%80%99s%20leading%20voting%20rights%20experts%2C%20Marguerite%20Leoni%20and%20Chris%20Skinnell%2C%20filed%20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    Numerous Amicus Briefs, Including by Some Covered States, Filed
    Against Constitutionality of Voting Rights Act Section 5, in Shelby
    County Case <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45857>

Posted on January 3, 2013 7:51 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45857> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Via the Project on Fair Representation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/> (representing Shelby County):

*Amicus Briefs*

Alabama 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Alabama.pdf>

Alaska 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Alaska.pdf>

American Unity Legal Defense Fund 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-American-Unity-Legal-Defense-Fund.pdf>

Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina and South Dakota 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Arizona-Georgia-South-Carolina-and-South-Dakota.pdf>

Cato Institute 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Cato-Institute.pdf>

Former Government Officials 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Former-Government-Officials.pdf>

John Nix, Anthony Cuomo
and Dr. Abigail Thernstrom 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-John-Nix-Anthony-Cuomo-and-Dr-Abigail-Thernstrom.pdf>

Judicial Education Project 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Judicial-Education-Project.pdf>

Justice and Freedom Fund 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Justice-and-Freedom-Fund.pdf>

Landmark Legal Foundation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Landmark-Legal-Foundation.pdf>

Mountain States Legal Foundation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Mountain-States-Legal-Foundation.pdf>

National Black Chamber of Commerce 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-National-Black-Chamber-of-Commerce.pdf>

Pacific Legal Foundation, Center for Equal Opportunity, and American 
Civil Rights Foundation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Pacific-Legal-Foundation-Center-for-Equal-Opportunity-and-American-Civil-Rights-Foundation.pdf>

Project 21 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Project-21.pdf>

Reason Foundation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Reason-Foundation.pdf>

Southeastern Legal Foundation 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Southeastern-Legal-Foundation.pdf>

Texas 
<http://www.projectonfairrepresentation.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Shelby-County-v-Holder-Amicus-Brief-Texas.pdf>

Here is how Alabama's brief begins:

    In 2013, there should not be the Uncovered States of America and the
    Covered States of America. There should be the United States of
    America. Other States have persuasively explained why their
    experiences support this proposition. This brief provides Alabama's
    own, unique perspective. George Wallace and Bull Connor used to be
    in Alabama, and Selma and the Edmund Pettus Bridge still are. These
    people and places were particularly responsible for making the
    preclearance mechanism necessary and appropriate in 1965. Things
    that have happened in Alabama in the meantime should thus be
    particularly instructive in determining whether Congress can employ
    the same extraordinary measure now.

    Alabama's experience on these fronts is consistent with the Court's
    assessment four Terms ago. Things in the South have, indeed,
    changed. See Nw. Austin Mun. Utility Dist. No. One v. Holder, 557
    U.S. 193, 202 (2009). Alabama has a new generation of leaders with
    no connection to the tragic events of 1965. The effects of those
    events on voting and political representation have now, thankfully,
    faded away. These on-the-ground realities show that the 2006
    Congress abdicated its constitutional responsibilities when it
    simply reimposed, on Alabama and other States ready to be equal
    partners in the Union, burdens that previously were necessary and
    appropriate only because of a defiance and recalcitrance whose
    vestiges no longer exist.

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amicus%20curiae%20brief%20in%20the%20United%20States%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20in%20the%20pending%20constitutional%20challenge%20to%20Section%205%20of%20the%20federal%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%20%28Shelby%20County%2C%20Ala.%20v.%20Holder%29%E2%80%A6.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20In%20August%20of%202012%2C%20after%20more%20than%20two%20years%20of%20investigation%2C%20the%20United%20States%20Attorney%20General%20found%20that%20Merced%20County%20met%20the%20criteria%2C%20and%20consented%20to%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout.%20Marguerite%20and%20Chris%20represented%20the%20County%20in%20the%20bailout%20action.%20%20The%20bailout%20also%20had%20coattails%2C%20freeing%20more%20than%2080%20cities%2C%20school%20districts%20and%20special%20districts%20with%20territory%20in%20the%20County%20from%20the%20need%20to%20comply%20with%20Section%205%E2%80%B2s%20preclearance%20obligation.%20%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20was%20far%20and%20away%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20complex%20bailout%20action%20to%20be%20approved%20by%20the%20United%20States%20District%20Court%20for%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia%20since%20the%20bailout%20criteria%20were%20last%20amended%20by%20Congress%20in%201982.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20The%20purpose%20of%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20just-filed%20amicus%20brief%20was%20to%20provide%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20with%20information%20regarding%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20successful%20Section%205%20bailout%2C%20and%20to%20respond%20to%20attacks%20on%20the%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout%20in%20recent%20press%20coverage%20and%20court%20filings%2C%20which%20suggest%20that%20the%20County%20was%20not%20entitled%20to%20bail%20out%2C%20and%20the%20Attorney%20General%20permitted%20the%20County%20to%20bail%20out%20improperly%20to%20support%20his%20argument%20that%20bailout%20is%20a%20viable%20option.>
Posted in Department of Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>, 
Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "Director's Note: Resolutions for 2013?
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45855>

Posted on January 3, 2013 7:49 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45855> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Doug Chapin reflects 
<http://www.electionline.org/index.php/electionline-weekly> at 
Electionline Weekly.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | 
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    "Qualcomm Sued Over Political-Giving Records"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45852>

Posted on January 3, 2013 7:41 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45852> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WSJ 
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323374504578219591334177244.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet>: 
"New York's public pension fund filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm 
<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=QCOM> 
Inc. in an unusual effort to force the wireless-technology company to 
disclose what it spends on political causes. The lawsuit, which legal 
experts say could have a significant impact on corporate political 
giving, alleges that Qualcomm has declined to disclose its political 
donations, despite a formal request by the pension fund and other 
institutional investors. The fund, invoking a Delaware law that requires 
certain corporate disclosures, wants the company to open up its books 
and records so it can see how much Qualcomm donates."

UPDATE: See also this NY Times report. 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/nyregion/new-york-comptroller-sues-qualcomm-for-data-on-political-giving.html?hpw&_r=1&>

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Allow the Oscars to explain why we should never, ever e-vote in a
    national election" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45849>

Posted on January 3, 2013 7:35 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45849> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Boing boing explains 
<http://boingboing.net/2013/01/02/oscars-e-voting.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29>.

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reme%20Court%2C%20in%20the%20pending%20constitutional%20challenge%20to%20Section%205%20of%20the%20federal%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%20%28Shelby%20County%2C%20Ala.%20v.%20Holder%29%E2%80%A6.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20In%20August%20of%202012%2C%20after%20more%20than%20two%20years%20of%20investigation%2C%20the%20United%20States%20Attorney%20General%20found%20that%20Merced%20County%20met%20the%20criteria%2C%20and%20consented%20to%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout.%20Marguerite%20and%20Chris%20represented%20the%20County%20in%20the%20bailout%20action.%20%20The%20bailout%20also%20had%20coattails%2C%20freeing%20more%20than%2080%20cities%2C%20school%20districts%20and%20special%20districts%20with%20territory%20in%20the%20County%20from%20the%20need%20to%20comply%20with%20Section%205%E2%80%B2s%20preclearance%20obligation.%20%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20was%20far%20and%20away%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20complex%20bailout%20action%20to%20be%20approved%20by%20the%20United%20States%20District%20Court%20for%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia%20since%20the%20bailout%20criteria%20were%20last%20amended%20by%20Congress%20in%201982.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20The%20purpose%20of%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20just-filed%20amicus%20brief%20was%20to%20provide%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20with%20information%20regarding%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20successful%20Section%205%20bailout%2C%20and%20to%20respond%20to%20attacks%20on%20the%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout%20in%20recent%20press%20coverage%20and%20court%20filings%2C%20which%20suggest%20that%20the%20County%20was%20not%20entitled%20to%20bail%20out%2C%20and%20the%20Attorney%20General%20permitted%20the%20County%20to%20bail%20out%20improperly%20to%20support%20his%20argument%20that%20bailout%20is%20a%20viable%20option.>
Posted in internet voting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=49>, voting 
technology <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40> | Comments Off


    "U.S. Supreme Court Poised To Determine Constitutionality of Section
    5 of the Voting Rights Act; Merced County Files Amicus Brief
    Defending Its Bailout From Section 5 Coverage."
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45845>

Posted on January 3, 2013 7:28 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45845> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Press release 
<http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=a8kmnheab&v=001Odyl7ekdr1Y0hY6_1pu4SgA5M2Uzy5IUDCncvF_1eBmdagv-FHg2jvk_tYRK-9W9pVFSMtXeSarHO1lepfmDwtHaQixeDdv2F9b4SKIcMCHantjGONOZkEunTGu1fYpanVkwXkZSV6QIJ6eWresl5ZrDWJ5eUswl-GZ49saDcyks1OcpQptAMiyV-k5-Rlvig-FlKa-r4Fc%3D>:

    On January 2, 2013, two of Nielsen Merksamer's leading voting rights
    experts, Marguerite Leoni and Chris Skinnell, filed an /*amicus
    curiae brief
    <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001LXg5PKS0IrQdm78q4pTfbm5CmSRB_ibEcjYxfVLsRV4kHpafP2jYvSVtPBUWovmSF_6EqES0HRonnz9ueOAkKPoGzHJypjcZpDbhMAQ39ajS65KyenuMl714A7pyC9WAMpjB7zZWqH4C85BXYPHGSxvSlRsE5xX->*/
    in the United States Supreme Court, in the pending constitutional
    challenge to Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act (Shelby
    County, Ala. v. Holder
    <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001LXg5PKS0IrT_KVcyZ-_LTRF9F2DIG4F3J3mJgjluigAeqblqiaBMyW-_f4jvNtSOBTjmi5OLIyCjnIe0db2jswnag26WfiJvV0FaWl0mGSZwm_XxXKX41a4wq5Yl8m15G2zrkm5MwiTruF8EyKjmIvpYI7bZHYM_MLoviVoAra-5gBVj8uZAdA==>)....

    In August of 2012, after more than two years of investigation, the
    United States Attorney General found that Merced County met the
    criteria, and consented to Merced County's bailout. Marguerite and
    Chris represented the County in the bailout action.  The bailout
    also had coattails, freeing more than 80 cities, school districts
    and special districts with territory in the County from the need to
    comply with Section 5?s preclearance obligation.  Merced County's
    was far and away the largest and most complex bailout action to be
    approved by the United States District Court for the District of
    Columbia since the bailout criteria were last amended by Congress in
    1982.

    The purpose of Merced County's just-filed amicus brief was to
    provide the Supreme Court with information regarding Merced County's
    successful Section 5 bailout, and to respond to attacks on the
    County's bailout in recent press coverage
    <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001LXg5PKS0IrQGUSgTTDO5BrlRcFzlaDTKVGWUa81xXpJSNWcWFUhWsCjx3PqEdwPfVdraphrMZCaKqYoQ__7o9GekL5ij-vIlNviVYvfsC-fJ0gTYWuVo-YEDdx2xUr4Ix1gJpGfTO0ik1tKGqrW1V4fMd94dfnq_rFSs9PmIuNJNhi8mk6AA8pe2iNctzDp_NkePc4CIS3JT8I4EMUzLXwpdGV7edywYPZCpHWBar5o=>
    and court filings, which suggest that the County was not entitled to
    bail out, and the Attorney General permitted the County to bail out
    improperly to support his argument that bailout is a viable option.

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uerite%20Leoni%20and%20Chris%20Skinnell%2C%20filed%20an%20amicus%20curiae%20brief%20in%20the%20United%20States%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20in%20the%20pending%20constitutional%20challenge%20to%20Section%205%20of%20the%20federal%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%20%28Shelby%20County%2C%20Ala.%20v.%20Holder%29%E2%80%A6.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20In%20August%20of%202012%2C%20after%20more%20than%20two%20years%20of%20investigation%2C%20the%20United%20States%20Attorney%20General%20found%20that%20Merced%20County%20met%20the%20criteria%2C%20and%20consented%20to%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout.%20Marguerite%20and%20Chris%20represented%20the%20County%20in%20the%20bailout%20action.%20%20The%20bailout%20also%20had%20coattails%2C%20freeing%20more%20than%2080%20cities%2C%20school%20districts%20and%20special%20districts%20with%20territory%20in%20the%20County%20from%20the%20need%20to%20comply%20with%20Section%205%E2%80%B2s%20preclearance%20obligation.%20%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20was%20far%20and%20away%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20complex%20bailout%20action%20to%20be%20approved%20by%20the%20United%20States%20District%20Court%20for%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia%20since%20the%20bailout%20criteria%20were%20last%20amended%20by%20Congress%20in%201982.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20The%20purpose%20of%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20just-filed%20amicus%20brief%20was%20to%20provide%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20with%20information%20regarding%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20successful%20Section%205%20bailout%2C%20and%20to%20respond%20to%20attacks%20on%20the%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout%20in%20recent%20press%20coverage%20and%20court%20filings%2C%20which%20suggest%20that%20the%20County%20was%20not%20entitled%20to%20bail%20out%2C%20and%20the%20Attorney%20General%20permitted%20the%20County%20to%20bail%20out%20improperly%20to%20support%20his%20argument%20that%20bailout%20is%20a%20viable%20option.>
Posted in Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>, Voting 
Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "C-SPAN apologizes for racy show titles"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45841>

Posted on January 2, 2013 5:16 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45841> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

How 
<http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/c-span-apologizes-for-racy-show-titles-85683.html?hp=r10> 
"Just Plain Dick" and "I want you to shut the f#ck up" got superimposed 
on the C-SPAN "fiscal cliff" debate feed.

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    "WyLiberty Attorneys File Appellate Brief in Free Speech Case"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45838>

Posted on January 2, 2013 4:34 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45838> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Press release 
<http://wyliberty.org/feature/wyliberty-attorneys-file-appellate-brief-in-free-speech-case/>: 
"WyLiberty attorneys filed a brief with the Tenth Circuit Court of 
Appeals 
<http://wyliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Free-Speech-v.-FEC-App-Brief.pdf> 
in /Free Speech v. Federal Election Commission / 
<http://wyliberty.org/legal-center/free-speech-v-federal-election-commission/>(FEC) 
in Denver today.  The brief argues that the court should reverse a 
ruling by Judge Scott Skavdahl of the Wyoming federal district court 
that denied a preliminary injunction against FEC regulations that 
require Free Speech to register and report as a political committee (PAC)."

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20constitutional%20challenge%20to%20Section%205%20of%20the%20federal%20Voting%20Rights%20Act%20%28Shelby%20County%2C%20Ala.%20v.%20Holder%29%E2%80%A6.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20In%20August%20of%202012%2C%20after%20more%20than%20two%20years%20of%20investigation%2C%20the%20United%20States%20Attorney%20General%20found%20that%20Merced%20County%20met%20the%20criteria%2C%20and%20consented%20to%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout.%20Marguerite%20and%20Chris%20represented%20the%20County%20in%20the%20bailout%20action.%20%20The%20bailout%20also%20had%20coattails%2C%20freeing%20more%20than%2080%20cities%2C%20school%20districts%20and%20special%20districts%20with%20territory%20in%20the%20County%20from%20the%20need%20to%20comply%20with%20Section%205%E2%80%B2s%20preclearance%20obligation.%20%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20was%20far%20and%20away%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20complex%20bailout%20action%20to%20be%20approved%20by%20the%20United%20States%20District%20Court%20for%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia%20since%20the%20bailout%20criteria%20were%20last%20amended%20by%20Congress%20in%201982.%0A%0A%20%20%20%20The%20purpose%20of%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20just-filed%20amicus%20brief%20was%20to%20provide%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20with%20information%20regarding%20Merced%20County%E2%80%99s%20successful%20Section%205%20bailout%2C%20and%20to%20respond%20to%20attacks%20on%20the%20County%E2%80%99s%20bailout%20in%20recent%20press%20coverage%20and%20court%20filings%2C%20which%20suggest%20that%20the%20County%20was%20not%20entitled%20to%20bail%20out%2C%20and%20the%20Attorney%20General%20permitted%20the%20County%20to%20bail%20out%20improperly%20to%20support%20his%20argument%20that%20bailout%20is%20a%20viable%20option.>
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    "House Ethics Amends Private Travel Rules"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45835>

Posted on January 2, 2013 4:22 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45835> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call: 
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/house_ethics_amends_private_travel_rules-220397-1.html>

    The House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday that it has adopted
    new regulations for accepting privately financed congressional
    travel, including heightened disclosure requirements and earlier
    approval deadlines.

    The changes were the result of a working group convened by the
    committee in the 111th and 112th Congresses and "provide a greater
    level of clarity into the requirements and conditions for receiving
    the committee's approval to accept privately sponsored travel,"
    according to a joint statement from Ethics Chairman Jo Bonner
    <http://www.rollcall.com/members/15314.html>, R-Ala., and ranking
    member Linda T. Sanchez, D-Calif.

    As Roll Call has reported
    <http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_26/House_Members_Flock_to_Israel_With_Travel_Loophole_AIPAC-208599-1.html>extensively
    in the past, numerous groups linked so closely to lobbying interests
    they are all but indistinguishable are increasingly funding
    <http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_44/Africa-Trip-Blurs-Lines-On-Travel-Propriety-209590-1.html>
    congressional travel in order to promote their agendas. The activity
    comes less than five years after Congress placed heightened
    restrictions on lobbyist-funded travel in the wake of the Jack
    Abramoff lobbying scandal.

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Posted in conflict of interest laws 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20>, ethics investigations 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=42>, legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, lobbying 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28> | Comments Off


    "Conservative Group Attempts To Block New Hampshire's Bailout From
    Voting Rights Act" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45832>

Posted on January 2, 2013 2:11 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45832> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ryan Reilly reports 
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/new-hampshire-voting-rights-act_n_2397801.html?1357163981> 
for HuffPo.

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Posted in Department of Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>, 
election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "For Outgoing Lawmakers, Connections Mean Chance to Cash In"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45829>

Posted on January 2, 2013 1:58 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45829> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Open Secrets and CBS News reports 
<http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/for-outgoing-lawmakers-connections.html>.

Meanwhile Sen. Bob Bennett is angry 
<http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/01/capital-eye-opener-january-2.html> 
he had to wait two years after leaving office before being able to cash 
in as a lobbyist.

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Posted in conflict of interest laws 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20>, ethics investigations 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=42>, legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, lobbying 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28> | Comments Off


    "Reid delays call on filibuster overhaul"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45827>

Posted on January 2, 2013 1:37 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45827> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico 
<http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/reid-delays-call-on-filibuster-overhaul-85692.html?hp=l1>: 
"He has a chance to go 'nuclear' Thursday, but instead Senate Majority 
Leader Harry Reid plans to punt a decision on the filibuster until later 
this month."

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    "Oasis or Mirage: The Supreme Court's Thirst for Dictionaries in the
    Rehnquist and Roberts Eras" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45824>

Posted on January 2, 2013 12:25 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=45824> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jim Brudney and Larry Baum have postedthis draft 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2195644>on SSRN.

    The Supreme Court's use of dictionaries, virtually non-existent
    before 1987, has dramatically increased during the Rehnquist and
    Roberts Court eras to the point where as many as one-third of
    statutory decisions invoke dictionary definitions. The increase is
    linked to the rise of textualism and its intense focus on ordinary
    meaning. This Article explores the Court's new dictionary culture in
    depth from empirical and doctrinal perspectives. Among our findings
    are (a) while textualist justices are the highest dictionary users,
    purposivist justices invoke dictionary definitions with comparable
    frequency; (b) dictionary use is especially heavy in the criminal
    law area, serving what we describe as a Notice function; (c)
    dictionary use overall is strikingly ad hoc and subjective. We
    demonstrate how the Court's patterns of dictionary usage reflect a
    casual form of opportunistic conduct: the justices almost always
    invoke one or at most two dictionaries, they have varied individual
    brand preferences from which they often depart, they seem to use
    general and legal dictionaries interchangeably, and they lack a
    coherent position on citing to editions from the time of statutory
    enactment versus the time the instant case was filed.

    The Article then conducts a detailed doctrinal review, leading to an
    innovative functional analysis of how the justices use dictionaries:
    as way stations when dictionary meanings are indeterminate or
    otherwise unhelpful; as ornaments when definitions are helpful but
    of marginal weight compared with more traditional resources like the
    canons, precedent, legislative history, or agency deference; and as
    barriers that preclude inquiry into or reliance on other contextual
    resources, especially legislative history and agency guidance.
    Ornamental opinions (the largest category) typically locate
    dictionary analysis at the start of the Court's reasoning, subtly
    conveying that the lexicographic method should matter more than
    other interpretive resources. Barrier opinions would have been
    inconceivable prior to 1987 but now occur with disturbing frequency:
    they elevate the justices' reliance on definitions in a radically
    acontextual manner, ignoring persuasive interpretive evidence from
    the enactment process and from agency experience.

    Finally, the Article analyzes whether the Court's patterns of
    inconsistent dictionary usage, and its tendency to cherry-pick
    definitions that support results reached on other grounds,
    distinguish dictionaries from high-profile interpretive resources
    such as canons and legislative history that have been criticized on
    a similar basis. We contend that dictionaries are different from a
    normative vantage point, essentially because of (i) how both wings
    of the Court have promoted them by featuring definitions frequently
    and prominently in opinions, and (ii) how dictionaries are
    effectively celebrated as an independently constituted source of
    objective meaning (unlike the canons as judicial branch creations
    and legislative history as a congressional product). Yet our
    findings demonstrate that the image of dictionary usage as heuristic
    and authoritative is a mirage. This contrast between the exalted
    status ascribed to dictionary definitions and the highly subjective
    way the Court uses them in practice reflects insufficient attention
    to the inherent limitations of dictionaries, limitations that have
    been identified by other scholars and by some appellate judges.
    Further, the justices' subjective dictionary culture is likely to
    mislead lawyers faced with the responsibility to construct arguments
    for the justices to review. The Article concludes by offering a
    three-step plan for the Court to develop a healthier approach to its
    dictionary habit.

I am looking forward to reading this!

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Posted in legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, statutory interpretation 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=21> | 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
http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org
Now available: The Voting Wars: http://amzn.to/y22ZTv

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