[EL] ELB News and Commentary 4/2/15

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Thu Apr 2 07:54:33 PDT 2015 

    Menendez indictment marks first big corruption case involving a
    super PAC” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71484>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:52 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71484>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Must-read Matea 
Gold<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/menendez-indictment-marks-first-big-corruption-case-involving-a-super-pac/2015/04/01/f42f4aee-d8d9-11e4-8103-fa84725dbf9d_story.html>in 
WaPo:

    “You just see that everything that goes on behind the scenes
    confirms people’s worst fears: that someone can swear that there’s
    no quid pro quo and no deals, but it’s very hard to know if that’s
    true, and it depends in your confidence in politicians to tell the
    truth,” said Richard L. Hasen, a law professor at the University of
    California at Irvine who studies campaign finance regulation.,,,

    But advocates of loosening campaign finance restrictions said that
    just because Melgen may have thought he could influence Menendez
    through super PAC donations does not mean the senator actually was
    compromised, even if he knew about the donations.

    “Gratitude is not corruption,” said conservative election law
    attorney James Bopp Jr. “Was there an exchange that is related to
    the super PAC? And if there was, then it would be corrupting. . . .
    But there is nothing inherently corrupting in somebody who wants
    favors or likes somebody giving money to super PAC.”

    We now conclude that independent expenditures, including those made
    by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of
    corruption,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in the decision.

    “There is only scant evidence that independent expenditures even
    ingratiate,” he added. “Ingratiation and access, in any event, are
    not corruption.”

    Hasen said that the Menendez case shows the court’s flawed logic.
    “It’s impossible to ensure independence, because a deal like this
    could have been kept secret from the super PAC,” he said.

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Posted inbribery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54>,campaign finance 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme Court 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    “Plutocrats United,” to Be Released in January, Now Available for
    Preorder <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71480>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:48 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71480>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

I’m thrilled to announce that Amazon is now accepting pre-orders for my 
book, due out Jan. 2016,Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme 
Court, and the Distortion of American Elections 
<http://www.amazon.com/Plutocrats-United-Campaign-Distortion-Elections/dp/0300212453/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427985945&sr=8-1&keywords=plutocrats+united>. 
 From thedescription of the book 
<http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300212457>on the 
Yale University Press website:

    Campaign financing is one of today’s most divisive political issues.
    The left asserts that the electoral process is rife with corruption.
    The right protests that the real aim of campaign limits is to
    suppress political activity and protect incumbents. Meanwhile, money
    flows freely on both sides. In/Plutocrats United,/Richard Hasen
    argues that both left and right avoid the key issue of the new
    Citizens United era: balancing political inequality with free speech.

    The Supreme Court has long held that corruption and its appearance
    are the only reasons to constitutionally restrict campaign funds.
    Progressives often agree but have a much broader view of corruption.
    Hasen argues for a new focus and way forward: if the government is
    to ensure robust political debate, the Supreme Court should allow
    limits on money in politics to prevent those with great economic
    power from distorting the political process.

    plutocrats-cover-jpg
    <http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/plutocrats-cover-jpg.jpg>

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Posted incampaign finance 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Plutocrats United 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=104>,Supreme Court 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    “Taxpayers paid portion of Cruz’s political trips”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71478>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:43 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71478>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

USA Today reports. 
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/04/02/ted-cruz-taxpayer-funded-political-travel/70774914/>

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


    “Candidates Who Mock the Law” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71476>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:28 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71476>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo editorial. 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/candidates-who-mock-the-law/2015/04/01/f94fd400-d8a5-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.html>

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,federal 
election commission <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=24>


    “Broken FEC is making a mockery of campaign finance laws”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71474>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:28 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71474>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Craig Holman has writtenthis Sacramento Bee oped 
<http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article17130476.html>.

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,federal 
election commission <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=24>


    “In Aldermanic Races Fueled by Big Money, Top Fundraiser Wins 93% of
    the Time” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71472>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:27 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71472>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

New report 
<http://illinoispirg.org/news/ilf/aldermanic-races-fueled-big-money-top-fundraiser-wins-93-time>from 
Illinois PIRG.

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>


    “Protest at the Supreme Court. Only problem? Few reporters were
    there to see it.” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71470>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:23 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71470>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Al Kamen writes at WaPo. 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2015/04/01/protest-at-the-supreme-court-only-problem-few-reporters-were-there-to-see-it/>

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    “Constitution Check: Who has a right to speak up in the Supreme
    Court?” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71468>

Posted onApril 2, 2015 7:20 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71468>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Lyle Denniston blogs. 
<http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/04/constitution-check-who-has-a-right-to-speak-up-in-the-supreme-court/>

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    Garrett Epps on the SCOTUS Alabama Redistricting Case
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71466>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 5:04 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71466>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here. 
<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/unicorns-and-gerrymanders-in-the-supreme-court/388763/>

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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


    Alan Morrison on the SCOTUS Alabama Redistricting Case
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71464>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 5:03 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71464>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here. 
<http://www.gwlr.org/2015/03/28/alabama-legislative-black-caucus-v-alabama/>

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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


    “Wichita State mathematician sues Kris Kobach, Sedgwick County
    elections commisioner seeking court order to audit voting machines”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71462>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 4:49 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71462>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

News 
<http://cjonline.com/news/2015-04-01/wichita-state-mathematician-sues-kris-kobach-sedgwick-county-elections-commisioner>from 
Kansas.

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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


    Video of @99Rise Campaign Finance Protest Inside Supreme Court Today
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71460>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 4:47 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71460>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>


    “The U.S. Attorney’s Troubling Decision in the Lois Lerner Case”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71458>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 4:37 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71458>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Michael Stern blogs. 
<http://www.pointoforder.com/2015/04/01/the-u-s-attorneys-troubling-decision-in-the-lois-lerner-case/>

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Posted inlegislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>,tax law and election law 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>


    “DOJ: No contempt charges for former IRS official Lois Lerner; She
    is still under investigation for a separate tea party targeting
    matter” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71456>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 2:37 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71456>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico reports. 
<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/lois-lerner-no-contempt-charges-justice-department-116577.html>

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Posted incampaign finance 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Department of Justice 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>,tax law and election law 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>


    “Senator Robert Menendez Indicted on Corruption Charges”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71451>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 1:11 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71451>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here we go 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/nyregion/senator-robert-menendez-indicted-on-corruption-charges.html?module=Notification&version=BreakingNews&region=FixedTop&action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=31894022&pgtype=Homepage>. 
  Update:The indictment 
<https://www.dropbox.com/s/whpt70z7ynwi71y/Menendez_Melgen_indictment.pdf?dl=0>.

Among the allegations: corruption with large donor funneling money to 
supposedly independent Super PAC.

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Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>


    “Trucking and Rail Industries Turn State Troopers Into Unwitting
    Lobbyists” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71449>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 12:49 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71449>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Fascinating NYT report. 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/us/politics/trucking-and-rail-industries-turn-state-troopers-into-unwitting-lobbyists.html?ref=politics>

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Posted inlegislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>,lobbying 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28>


    “Kasich cuts Republican-backed link between voting and driver’s
    licenses” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71447>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 12:47 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71447>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Columbus Dispatch 
<http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/01/ohio-transportation-bill.html>: 
“In a rebuke of fellow Republicans, Gov. John Kasich used his line-item 
veto authority today to kill language that would have required 
out-of-state college students who register to vote in Ohio to quickly 
obtain in-state licenses and vehicle registrations.”

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Posted inelection administration 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,The Voting Wars 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>


    Solum on Hasen on Voting Fraud <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71445>

Posted onApril 1, 2015 12:45 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71445>byRick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Perfect 
<http://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2015/04/hasen-on-voting-fraud.html>for 
April 1.

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Posted inelection law "humor" <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=52>


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

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