[EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/21/15
Rick Hasen
rhasen at law.uci.edu
Thu May 21 08:08:34 PDT 2015
“Bill to give Kobach prosecutorial power receives early House
approval in close vote; Secretary of state says vote comes ‘not a
moment too soon'” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72663>
Posted onMay 21, 2015 8:05 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72663>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Sigh.
<http://cjonline.com/news/2015-05-20/bill-give-kobach-prosecutorial-power-receives-early-house-approval-close-vote>
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Posted inelection administration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,fraudulent fraud squad
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>,The Voting Wars
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“Do Commissioners Weintraub and Ravel Want the FEC to Fail?”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72660>
Posted onMay 21, 2015 7:59 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72660>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Brad Smith
<http://www.campaignfreedom.org/2015/05/20/do-commissioners-weintraub-and-ravel-want-the-fec-to-fail/>:
Ann Ravel, the Democratic Chair of the Federal Election Commission,
made headlines early this month when she told the New York Times
that her agency was “worse than dysfunctional” and that “the
likelihood of the [federal campaign finance] laws being enforced is
slim.” Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub chimed in “the few
rules that are left, people feel free to ignore.” Such statements
are, of course, catnip to the so-called “reform” community—groups
that want more regulation of political speech—and to news reporters
covering “money in politics.”
All of this is, not to put too fine a point on it, patently absurd,
but one must presume it serves a purpose for the Commissioners. The
question is, what purpose?
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,federal
election commission <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=24>
Cleta Mitchell in Breitbart Interview Suggests Jeb Bush Breaking
Campaign Finance Law <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72658>
Posted onMay 21, 2015 7:56 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72658>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Very interesting.
<http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/21/election-law-experts-jeb-bush-is-violating-campaign-finance-laws/>
UPDATE: A reader points me to the disclosure at the end of the article
about the article’s author:
/[Disclosures: Sarah Rumpf was a summer clerk at the Orlando office
of Foley and Lardner, Cleta Mitchell’s law firm, and has been
employed by or provided consulting services for candidates who
Mitchell represented. Mitchell is currently advising ///Sen. Marco
Rubio (R-FL)///’s PAC and Sen. Rick Santorum.]/
//
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Hillary Clinton Super PAC Struggles to Raise Money”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72656>
Posted onMay 21, 2015 7:51 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72656>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
WSJ reports.
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/money-woes-for-clinton-super-pac-1432168562>
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“The FEC, the Big Issues, and Getting Right a Few Basics–Like
Disclosure” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72654>
Posted onMay 21, 2015 7:46 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72654>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bauer
<http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/2015/05/fec-big-issues-getting-right-basics-like-disclosure/>:
Public Citizenhas concluded
<http://www.citizen.org/documents/fec-deadlock-update-april-2015.pdf>that
the Federal Election Commission is failing. Its shortcomings are
“dramatic and uncharacteristic”, because they range across the
entire field of their responsibilities in conducting audits;
enforcing the law through investigations, settlements and lawsuits;
and issuing regulations and advisory opinions. The Public Citizen
analysis is statistical and focuses on vote deadlocks. The FEC is
indeed disagreeing a great deal—about that, there is no doubt. But
is the agency failing or is the old regulatory model collapsing
under the pressure of changing law and political practice?
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,federal
election commission <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=24>
“Don Siegelman denied new trial: Bribery conviction, prison sentence
upheld by federal appeals court” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72652>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 7:12 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72652>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP
reports<http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/don_siegelman_not_entitled_to.html>onthis
ruling
<http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201214373.pdf>of the
11th Circuit.
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Posted inbribery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54>
“Feds probing alleged voting rights violations involving disabled
Californians” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72650>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 6:18 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72650>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
LAT
<http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-voting-rights-violations-disabled-20150520-story.html>:
Federal authorities are investigating allegations that California
and its courts are unlawfully denying voting rights to some
intellectually disabled residents, according to documents released
Wednesday.
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice in Sacramento have
requested records from Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Supreme
Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye including the number of
people disqualified from voting and policies for allowing residents
in limited conservatorships to vote.
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Posted inDepartment of Justice
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>,voters with disabilities
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=71>
“Supreme Court Showbiz; These new dramatizations miss the real
drama.” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72648>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 3:44 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72648>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Read Dahlia Lithwick
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/05/supreme_court_movies_plays_and_operas_scalia_ginsburg_thomas_star.html?wpsrc=sh_all_mob_tw_top>in
Slate.
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Posted inCelebrity Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=109>,Supreme
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
Two Great Law and Political Process Study Group Panels at APSA
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72646>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 3:36 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72646>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
All the more reason to come to San Francisco in September for theAPSA
conference <http://www.apsanet.org/Files/Annual%20Meeting/2015_program.pdf>:
Friday, 2:30 pm
53.5 LAW AND POLITICAL PROCESS STUDY GROUP: ROUNDTABLE ON THE
VOTING RIGHTS ACT AT 50
Chair: Bernard N. Grofman, University of California, Irvine
Part: Matt A. Barreto, University of California, Los Angeles
Kareem Crayton, University of North Carolina
Pamela S. Karlan, Stanford Law School
Derek Muller, Pepperdine University School of Law
Saturday, 10:15 am
74.13 LAW AND POLITICAL PROCESS STUDYGROUP: POLITICAL PARTIES AND
CAMPAIGN FINANCE IN THE POST-CITIZENS UNITEDWORLD
Chair: Daniel H. Lowenstein, University of California, Los Angeles
Disc: Yasmin Dawood
Papers: Ideological Donors, Contribution Limits, and
the Polarization of American Legislatures
Michael Barber, Brigham Young University
The Federalist Safeguards of Politics
Anthony Johnstone, University of Montana
Legislators as Party Elites: Intraparty Factionalism
and Presidential Politics in the New Hampshire State House
Seth E. Masket, University of Denver
Democratic Romanticism
Richard Pildes, New York University
I will also be on two panels, not connected to the LPPSG:
Friday, 11:30 am
44.30 THE PROSPECTS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND REFORM IN THE U.S.
Chair: Stephen M. Griffin, Tulane Law School
Part: John R. Vile, Middle Tennessee State University
Sanford Levinson, University of Texas, Austin
Richard L. Hasen, UC Irvine School of Law
Melissa A. Schwartzberg, New York University
Sunday, 8:00 am
91.39 AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS: BRUCE CAIN’S DEMOCRACY MORE OR LESS
Chair: Thad Kousser, University of California, San Diego
Part: Bruce E. Cain
Richard L. Hasen, UC Irvine School of Law
Frances E. Lee, University of Maryland, College Park
Raymond J. La Raja, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst
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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
“Pro-Clinton super PAC hit with FEC complaint, allegations of
illegal in-kind contributions” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72644>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 2:53 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72644>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
The /Washington Times/reports.
<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/20/pro-clinton-super-pac-hit-fec-complaint/#.VV0BnSdDlvI.twitter>
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Pilot Who Landed Gyrocopter at US Capitol Facing 6 Charges”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72642>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 2:14 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72642>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP
<http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/pilot-landed-gyrocopter-us-capitol-facing-charges-31187719>:
A Florida man who piloted a gyrocopter through miles of America’s
most restricted airspace before landing at the U.S. Capitol is now
facing charges that carry up to 9½ years in prison….Hughes, who took
off from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was arrested April 15 after he
landed on the Capitol’s West Lawn. Hughes has said his flight was
intended to call attention to the influence of big money in politics.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,social
media and social protests <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=58>
“Cobb compares pricey judicial races to legalized extortion”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72640>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 1:12 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72640>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP reports.
<http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2015/05/17/cobb-compares-pricey-judicial-races-to-legalized-extortion/27502609/>
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>,judicial elections
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19>
“Why Citizens United Just Scratches the Surface”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72638>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 1:08 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72638>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Adam Lioz and Brenda Wright inTAP
<http://prospect.org/article/why-citizens-united-just-scratches-surface>:
Hillary Clinton told supporters on Thursday that if elected she will
appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn /Citizens United/,
according to a/Washington Post/report. This is good news for our
democracy—but the Court’s role in helping wealthy interests dominate
politics goes far deeper than one bad case.
In fact, justices appointed by the next president—whoever that
is—should look to transform the Supreme Court’s entire approach to
money in politics going back to cases starting in the 1970s, just as
the Court has reversed course on New Deal economic protections,
racial segregation, LGBT rights, and more.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
“Organized labor comes up short in Democratic state Senate runoff”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72636>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 12:02 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72636>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
LAT
<http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-labor-state-senate-democrats-20150520-story.html#page=1>:
“Finally, the barrage is over in the East Bay. Tuesday night’s special
election for a state Senate seat closed a $9-million assault of mailers,
television ads and radio commercials that led to the victory of a
Democrat backed by Republican interests over his own party’s weightiest
ally, organized labor.”
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Nevada Republicans: Dump caucus, use early primary for presidential
race” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72633>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 11:37 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72633>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
This
<http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-legislature/nevada-republicans-dump-caucus-use-early-primary-presidential-race>would
be agreat idea
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/02/congress_should_kill_the_republican_and_democratic_state_caucuses_and_mandate_primaries_instead_.html>.
Democrats should get on board too.
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Posted inprimaries <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
9th Circuit Panel Upholds Hawaii Ban on Campaign Contributions by
Government Contractors <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72631>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 10:45 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72631>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
A important unanimous
decision<http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/05/20/12-15913.pdf>by
Judge Fisher (joined by Kozinski and Watford) in the 9th Circuit as a
challenge to the federal contractor ban remains pending. The 9th Circuit
held the ban satisfied exacting scrutiny, even after /McCutcheon/, and
even though it is a ban, rather than a limit on contributions, citing
the danger of pay to play.
The bulk of the opinion also upheld a variety of reporting, disclaimer,
and disclosure requirements required by Hawaii law. And the court
included dicta affirming the special importance of disclosure in the
Citizens United era:
Although not directly relevant to A-1’s challenge – because A-1’s
political activities are self-financed and it receives no
contributions – we also note the heightened importance of
noncandidate committee disclosure requirements now that the limit on
contributions to noncandidate committees has been permanently
enjoined. A single contributor may provide thousands of dollars to
independent committees, and yet avoid disclosing its identity if the
committee makes all the expenditures itself. The noncandidate
committee definition acts to ensure that the contributor’s identity
will be disclosed to the voting public. Hawaii’s efforts to provide
transparency would be incomplete if disclosure was not required in
such circumstances.
The opinion is in /A-1 A-Lectrician v. Snipes./
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“State GOP chairman urges Republicans to support election law
changes” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72629>
Posted onMay 20, 2015 9:26 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=72629>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bryan Lowry
<http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article21466392.html>:
“The chairman of the Kansas Republican Party is urging GOP lawmakers to
support election law changes that he says are ‘critical to the Kansas
Republican Party.”
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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
--
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
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