[EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/22/14

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Wed May 21 21:03:31 PDT 2014


    "Gary Cohn, Pulitzer Winner, Says California's Top-Two System Has
    Altered the Balance of Power Between Labor and Business"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61711>

Posted on May 21, 2014 9:00 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61711>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

BAN 
<http://www.ballot-access.org/2014/05/gary-cohn-pulitzer-winner-says-californias-top-two-system-has-altered-the-balance-of-power-between-labor-and-business/> 
explains and links.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61711&title=%E2%80%9CGary%20Cohn%2C%20Pulitzer%20Winner%2C%20Says%20California%E2%80%99s%20Top-Two%20System%20Has%20Altered%20the%20Balance%20of%20Power%20Between%20Labor%20and%20Business%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, 
political polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>


    "Is It Time to Give Term Limits to Supreme Court Justices? Our
    highest court is now polarized along partisan lines in a way that
    parallels other political institutions and the rest of society."
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61709>

Posted on May 21, 2014 8:52 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61709>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Norm 
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/washington-inside-out/is-it-time-to-give-term-limits-to-supreme-court-justices-20140521>!

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61709&title=%E2%80%9CIs%20It%20Time%20to%20Give%20Term%20Limits%20to%20Supreme%20Court%20Justices%3F%20Our%20highest%20court%20is%20now%20polarized%20along%20partisan%20lines%20in%20a%20way%20that%20parallels%20other%20political%20institutions%20and%20the%20rest%20of%20society.%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    "Proven Innovations to Uphold Voting Rights for Overseas Voters"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61707>

Posted on May 21, 2014 8:48 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61707>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Drew Spencer writes 
<http://www.fairvote.org/research-and-analysis/blog/proven-innovations-to-uphold-voting-rights-for-overseas-voters/> 
for FairVote.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61707&title=%E2%80%9CProven%20Innovations%20to%20Uphold%20Voting%20Rights%20for%20Overseas%20Voters%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in military voting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=48>


    "Texas woman, 92, gets voter ID after struggle with state law"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61703>

Posted on May 21, 2014 7:53 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61703>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Unbelievable story 
<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/texas-officials-won-92-year-old-texas-woman-voter-id-article-1.1799344>.  
And without publicity like this, many people will simply fall through 
the cracks in Texas and get disenfranchised for no good reason 
<http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/04/30/exorcising-the-voter-fraud-ghost/>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61703&title=%E2%80%9CTexas%20woman%2C%2092%2C%20gets%20voter%20ID%20after%20struggle%20with%20state%20law%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>


    "Secretary of state campaign takes on a higher profile"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61701>

Posted on May 21, 2014 7:50 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61701>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

AP 
<http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_25801333/secretary-state-campaign-takes-higher-profile>: 
"SACRAMENTO --- A string of legal cases against lawmakers that include 
two Democrats facing political corruption charges has magnified the 
usually quiet race for the office overseeing California elections and 
campaign fundraising."

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61701&title=%E2%80%9CSecretary%20of%20state%20campaign%20takes%20on%20a%20higher%20profile%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, election 
administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>


    "How Political Insiders Control the Ballot"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61699>

Posted on May 21, 2014 5:20 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61699>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jeff Jacoby column 
<http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/05/21/how-political-insiders-control-ballot/QGl3ku5kcuKwLHsfTui51I/story.html> 
on ballot access and Rep. Conyers.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61699&title=%E2%80%9CHow%20Political%20Insiders%20Control%20the%20Ballot%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in ballot access <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=46>, petition 
signature gathering <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=39>


    "State campaign finance laws are on borrowed time"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61697>

Posted on May 21, 2014 5:17 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61697>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

George Will column 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-f-will-federal-courts-are-taking-aim-at-state-campaign-restrictions/2014/05/21/ed3037b6-e04c-11e3-9743-bb9b59cde7b9_story.html?wprss=rss_george-will>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61697&title=%E2%80%9CState%20campaign%20finance%20laws%20are%20on%20borrowed%20time%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    An Unusual Order from the Supreme Court Delaying Execution, with
    Lethal Injections Questions Looming
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61689>

Posted on May 21, 2014 4:54 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61689>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Via USA Today <http://t.co/SkqS4fOpVV> comes news of this just-released 
order <https://t.co/3rckFgRRpz> of the Supreme Court. Richard Wolf of 
USA Today notes that this order comes after the Court had refused to 
block earlier executions using lethal injection, as questions mount 
after a recent botched execution about the risks of the procedure for 
causing prolonged pain before death.

Here is the order:

Screen Shot 2014-05-21 at 4.51.51 PM 
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2014-05-21-at-4.51.51-PM.png>

What's unusual about the order is the last sentence, leaving open the 
question of allowing an evidentiary hearing on the safety of the 
procedure in the lower courts. Andrew Cohen 
<https://twitter.com/CBSAndrew/status/469263244159639552> remarks that 
"On Bucklew, Missouri does not want an evidentiary hearing because it 
will require state to find doctors who contest Bucklew doctors' claims."

But it is unusual for the Court to allow this kind of action in the 
lower courts to continue while the Court considers a petition.  Rather 
than take the record as frozen, this will allow the Court to continue to 
get factual information about the lethal injection protocol as it 
considers the case.  It seems to make sense, but I can't think of other 
examples where the Court lets factual development go forward while it 
considers a petition.  I'm sure there are some, but I don't know of any 
right now.

Famously in /Bush v. Gore/, the Court halted the counting of ballots 
while it considered the merits of the recount.

UPDATE: Via Chris Geidne 
<http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/supreme-court-stops-missouri-execution>r 
comes news that the Court also denied a cert. petition at the Court, 
thereby leaving the issue to run its full course in the 8th Circuit. 
This makes the issue even more unusual, because you have the Court 
suggesting that an evidentiary hearing would be a good idea while the 
case remands in the hands of the lower courts. Kind of meddlesome by 
Supreme Court standards.

SECOND UPDATE: A reader suggests that the inmate in this case has a rare 
medical condition, which his lawyers allege would cause great pain at 
death. So it is possible this case is /sui generis/, and that it does 
not say anything broader about the lethal injection protocol. Even so, 
the hint for the evidentiary hearing remains unusual.

FINAL UPDATE: Nuance and context from Lyle Denniston 
<http://www.scotusblog.com/2014/05/execution-delayed-in-unusual-case/#more-211643>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61689&title=An%20Unusual%20Order%20from%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20Delaying%20Execution%2C%20with%20Lethal%20Injections%20Questions%20Looming&description=>
Posted in Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    "Arkansas Voters Complain About Quizzing By Poll Workers Checking
    IDs" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61687>

Posted on May 21, 2014 2:16 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61687>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

TPM reports. 
<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/arkansas-voter-id-quizzes>

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61687&title=%E2%80%9CArkansas%20Voters%20Complain%20About%20Quizzing%20By%20Poll%20Workers%20Checking%20IDs%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
voter id <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9>


    "Shedding Light on Dark Money" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61685>

Posted on May 21, 2014 1:33 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61685>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ruth Marcus WaPo column 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-shedding-light-on-dark-money/2014/05/20/e1a111f6-e036-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61685&title=%E2%80%9CShedding%20Light%20on%20Dark%20Money%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>


    "Lobbyists find mixed reception running for office, but a few have
    won elections" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61683>

Posted on May 21, 2014 1:32 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61683>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo reports 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lobbyists-find-mixed-reception-running-for-office-but-a-few-have-won-elections/2014/05/18/2d0343de-db74-11e3-b745-87d39690c5c0_story.html>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61683&title=%E2%80%9CLobbyists%20find%20mixed%20reception%20running%20for%20office%2C%20but%20a%20few%20have%20won%20elections%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, lobbying 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28>


    "Who's bankrolling secretive liberal group America Votes?"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61681>

Posted on May 21, 2014 1:30 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61681>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Dems play dark money game 
<http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/05/21/14791/who-s-bankrolling-secretive-liberal-group-america-votes> 
better this cycle. Sigh.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61681&title=%E2%80%9CWho%E2%80%99s%20bankrolling%20secretive%20liberal%20group%20America%20Votes%3F%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>


    "Building a Record for the Next Court"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61679>

Posted on May 21, 2014 1:27 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61679>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Renata Strause and Dan Tokaji have posted this draft 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2427679> on SSRN.  
Here is the abstract:

    Prepared for Symposium on "The Future of Campaign Finance Reform"
    hosted by the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy
    and Center on Law, Race, and Politics.

    This article considers the evidence that should be collected and
    developed to support the next generation of campaign finance reform
    before the next Supreme Court. It discusses but ultimately sidesteps
    theoretical debates over rationales for reform, focusing instead on
    the practical questions likely to be faced by future policymakers,
    lawyers, and expert witnesses. Drilling down into the ample
    evidentiary record in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, the
    article addresses the evidence that should be amassed by supporters
    of future regulation. This type of evidentiary record will be
    essential both in formulating the next generation of campaign
    finance reforms and in defending them in court. The article argues
    that, regardless of whether one favors an anti-corruption or
    egalitarian rationale for regulation, the evidentiary record should
    focus on conflicts of interest -- in particular, on whether a
    reasonable legislator would feel pressure to act in way that is
    different from the preferences of her constituents or the public
    interest. This is something more than a showing of unequal access,
    but something less than a showing of actual influence on
    policymaking. In the near term, these suggestions are designed to
    help define a research agenda for qualitative and quantitative
    empirical researchers. In the long term, they offer a roadmap for
    legislators shaping and lawyers defending future regulations before
    a Supreme Court less reflexively antagonistic to reform than the
    current one.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61679&title=%E2%80%9CBuilding%20a%20Record%20for%20the%20Next%20Court%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>


    "Tea Party congressman suggests only property owners should vote"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61677>

Posted on May 21, 2014 1:25 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=61677>by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Yoho LOL 
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/tea-party-congressman-ted-yoho-voting-suggestion>.

Share 
<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D61677&title=%E2%80%9CTea%20Party%20congressman%20suggests%20only%20property%20owners%20should%20vote%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in voting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31>

-- 
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://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/
http://electionlawblog.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20140521/70bd80d7/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: share_save_171_16.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1504 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20140521/70bd80d7/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Screen-Shot-2014-05-21-at-4.51.51-PM.png
Type: image/png
Size: 40783 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20140521/70bd80d7/attachment-0001.png>


View list directory