[EL] ELB News and Commentary 4/11/16
Rick Hasen
rhasen at law.uci.edu
Mon Apr 11 07:53:29 PDT 2016
“How far can you go to win support from a Republican delegate?”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81762>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:52 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81762>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
WaPo:
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-far-can-you-go-to-win-support-from-a-republican-delegate/2016/04/10/b5108ef8-ff17-11e5-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_gopshenanigans-740am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory>
Under regulations established in the 1980s, delegates cannot take
money from corporations, labor unions, federal contractors or
foreign nationals. But an individual donor is permitted to give a
delegate unlimited sums to support his or her efforts to get
selected to go to the convention, including money to defray the
costs of travel and lodging.
A candidate’s campaign committee can also pay for delegate expenses.
Some legal experts believe a campaign could even cover an
all-expense-paid weekend prior to the convention to meet with senior
staff at, say, a Trump-owned luxury golf resort in Florida….
Since most delegates are expected to cover their own travel and stay
in Cleveland, they could be offered thousands of dollars in
assistance. Just how far those payments can go has not been tested.
“If they decide to go to Cleveland via Cabo, that might be a
problem,” said Anthony Herman, a former FEC general counsel.
But it’s unclear that such a perk would be made public if it was
provided by a single donor. Under FEC rules, a contribution from an
individual to a delegate does not have to be disclosed, as long as
it was not made in coordination with a campaign or as an independent
effort to boost a candidate. That means gifts could flow to
delegates unseen.
“Beyond subsistence expenses, in the weeks ahead, are there cash and
items of value given to these delegates?” asked Republican election
law attorney Michael Toner. “Is someone going to show up in the
Cayman Islands in January with a three-week paid trip? That’s not
going to be readily apparent before the election.”
Still, Toner added, “I think the vast majority of the deals are
going to be political deals. People want attention, a seat at the
table.”
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,political
parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,primaries
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
“Time to Brush Up on Campaign Finance Laws”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81760>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:48 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81760>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
George Terwilliger
<http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202753889461/Time-to-Brush-Up-on-Campaign-Finance-Laws?slreturn=20160311104742>for
the NLJ:
The intersection of business and politics is a legal minefield. The
risks to businesses are only magnified as both corporate political
activity and enforcement scrutiny gain steam in the intensifying
U.S. political season. A brief look at some basic tenets of federal
election law can help chart a course to avoid explosive legal disasters.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Suit Challenging Cruz Eligibility Reaches Supreme Court”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81758>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:45 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81758>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Pete Williams reports
<http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suit-challenging-cruz-eligibility-reaches-supreme-court-n553321>for
NBC News.
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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Despite Complaints, Delegate System Has Given Trump a 22 Percent
Bonus” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81756>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:43 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81756>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Ari Melber
<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/despite-complaints-delegate-system-has-given-trump-22-percent-bonus-n553801>for
NBC News:
Donald Trump blasted the GOP’s delegate rules Sunday, saying a
“corrupt” system is denying him delegates in states he won.
According to a new NBC analysis, however, Trump has benefited far
more than Ted Cruz under the party’s arcane rules for allocating
delegates.
Trump now leads the Republican field with 756 delegates — or 45
percent of all delegates awarded to date. Yet he has won about 37
percent of all votes in the primaries, according to the NBC
analysis, meaning Trump’s delegate support is greater than his
actual support from voters.
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Posted inpolitical parties
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,primaries
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
“Did Act 10 affect spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court race?”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81754>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:41 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81754>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Jason Stein
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/did-act-10-affect-spending-in-wisconsin-supreme-court-race-b99702804z1-375201391.html>for
the Journal-Sentinel:
In Tuesday’s election, labor-backed candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg
lost a race for the Supreme Court in which her side in the contest
was badly outspent.
The Greater Wisconsin Committee, the liberal group backing
Kloppenburg, spent less than half of what it did on her behalf in
her unsuccessful 2011 bid for a court seat, with opponents spending
several times more in this race. Greater Wisconsin put up its TV ads
only eight days before the election won by Justice Rebecca Bradley,
while an independent group started running ads on Bradley’s behalf
just overtwo months before
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/outside-group-to-spend-400000-on-supreme-court-race-b99661208z1-367024271.html>the
election.
Is that a sign that the left in Wisconsin is losing its financial
resources? For years, Democrats have been predicting that Gov. Scott
Walker’s repeal of most collective bargaining for public sector
workers would dry up some labor funding for liberal candidates.
The answer is maybe, maybe not, say players on both sides of the
state’s polarized political divide.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,judicial
elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19>
“Citizens United Court Case Was A Fight Against Censorship, Bossie
Says” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81752>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:40 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81752>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Steve Inskeep of NPR’s Morning Edition
<http://www.npr.org/2016/04/11/473772632/citizens-united-weighs-in-on-big-money-in-the-presidential-election>talks
to David Bossie of Citizens United.
I demandequal time
<http://www.amazon.com/Plutocrats-United-Campaign-Distortion-Elections/dp/0300212453/>!
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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>
“Registering to vote holds challenges for college students”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81750>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:37 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81750>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/registering-to-vote-holds-challenges-for-college-students-b99702771z1-375137961.html>
Long lines at polling places on several college campuses during last
week’s primary election had at least one thing in common: students
who waited until the last minute to register to vote.
Due to new voting laws in Wisconsin, college students who are
already juggling classes, homework and jobs have their work cut out
for them before they can fill in an election ballot. If they don’t
figure out what documents they need until election day, they may
show up at the polls to register without the proper photo ID or
proof of current address. That can create bottlenecks in voting
wards with high student turnout.
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Posted inelection administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>
“State Online Voter Registration Systems”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81748>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:36 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81748>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Now live at Pew:
<http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/multimedia/data-visualizations/2016/state-online-voter-registration-systems> an
interactive look at how states implemented and offer online voter
registration. The tool tracks which states offer online registration and
summarizes our survey findings across five topics: legislation,
development, features, access, and processing.
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Posted inelection administration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,voting technology
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>
“Republicans Hijack and Election Agency”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81746>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:33 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81746>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT editorial:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/11/opinion/republicans-hijack-an-election-agency.html?ref=opinion&_r=0>
Mr. Newby’s defense of his action is hard to take seriously. He said
that his reversal of the commission’s precedent was merely an
administrative fix and therefore did not need a vote of the
commissioners.
In February, several voting rights groups, including the League of
Women Voters,sued
in<https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/legal-work/2016-02-12%20-%20Complaint.pdf>federal
court<https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/legal-work/2016-02-12%20-%20Complaint.pdf>to
stop Mr. Newby’sunilateral action
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/us/election-assistance-commission-motor-voter-lawsuit.html>.
The Justice Department, which usually sides with federal
officials,refused to defend
<https://lawyerscommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/28-Dfndnts-Response-to-Pltfs-Mtn-for-TRO-and-PI.pdf>Mr.
Newby, saying that he had violated federal law. A decision in the
case is pending.
For years, Republicans in statehouses have been trying to block
voting rights. Now, the federal agency whose mandate is to make
voting easier is also being hijacked by Republican ideologues.
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Posted inelection administration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,Election Assistance Commission
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=34>,The Voting Wars
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“CREW’s Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81744>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:30 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81744>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bloomberg
<http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-04-11/washington-watchdog-adjusts-to-life-with-partisan-roommates?cmpid=BBD041116_POL&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=>:
For more than a decade, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington, or CREW, has scrutinized and assailed federal agencies
and politicians from both parties to root out unethical behavior in
government. Over the past two years, however, some of the group’s
most influential work has been quietly dropped.
Annual rankings of the “most corrupt
<http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/mostcorrupt>” members of Congress
and a bi-annual list of the “worst” governors have stopped. A
pipeline of in-depth reports on issues ranging from financial
markets to timber-industry lobbying has gone dry. The group walked
away from a spat over Hillary Clinton’s treatment of e-mails as
secretary of state, even after anInspector General
<https://oig.state.gov/system/files/esp-16-01.pdf>found that CREW’s
public records request had been improperly denied.
Many of those projects, according to CREW, were set aside to
reorient its focus toward campaign finance violations by political
candidates and the outside groups that support them. The shift also
coincided with a leadership change in 2014, when CREW, looking to
bring on a new board chair with a strong fundraising base, hired
David Brock, a Democratic operative with deep ties to liberal
donors. That network of contributors has been the force behind a
collection of groups that Brock has created to oppose Republicans
and conservatives, as well as one devoted to defending Clinton.
Now, CREW shares office space, a board member and fundraising
executive with the groups under Brock’s purview, and as a result is
intertwined with the kinds of organizations it investigates. Some
former staffers say that Brock, who has moved into the vice chairman
role, has pulled the watchdog into a partisan agenda and, in doing
so, weakened its impact.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“A Hamstrung SCOTUS Is About To Have A Mess Of Voting Lawsuits At
Its Doorstep” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81742>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:26 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81742>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Tierney Sneed
<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/scotus-voting-lawsuits-shelby>for TPM.
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<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81742&title=%26%238220%3BA%20Hamstrung%20SCOTUS%20Is%20About%20To%20Have%20A%20Mess%20Of%20Voting%20Lawsuits%20At%20Its%20Doorstep%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted inelection administration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,The Voting Wars
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“Panama Papers Show How Everyone from Terrorists to Your Cat Could
Funnel Money into U.S. Elections” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81740>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:24 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81740>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Brendan Fischer
<http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/news/blog/panama-papers-show-how-everyone-terrorists-your-cat-could-funnel-money-us-elections>for
CLC:
Terrorists, Russian oligarchs, and even cats could find a way to
funnel money into U.S. elections, thanks to lax U.S. rules for shell
corporations and a deadlocked Federal Election Commission (FEC) that
refuses to enforce the law.
Anonymous shell corporations have been pushed into the headlines by
the “Panama Papers
<http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-panama-papers>,”
a trove of 11.5 million documents leaked from the Panama-based
Mossack Fonseca law firm, which areshining a rare spotlight
<http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/what-are-the-panama-papers/476658/>on
the shady world of money laundering. The documents show how dozens
of foreign leaders, as well as Russian oligarchs, terrorists and
celebrities, hide their money and dodge taxes through a web of shell
companies and offshore bank accounts. Iceland’s Prime Minister has
already resigned, and the fallout will likely continue to spread.
But the documents also show that offshore tax havens aren’t isolated
to Panama and the Cayman Islands: the U.S. is becoming an
increasingly popular place to launder money, given the ease with
which anonymous Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) can be created in
places like Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Lobbying and the Petition Clause” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81738>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:20 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81738>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Maggie McKinley has postedthis very interesting
draft<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2762012>on SSRN
(forthcoming, /Stanford Law Review/). Here is the abstract:
Contrary to popular opinion, the Supreme Court has not yet resolved
whether lobbying is constitutionally protected. Belying this fact,
courts, Congress, and scholars mistakenly assume that lobbying is
protected under the Petition Clause. Because scholars have shared
the mistaken assumption that the Petition Clause protects the
practice of “lobbying”, no research to date has looked closely at
the Petition Clause doctrine and the history of petitioning in
relation to lobbying. In a recent opinion addressing petitioning in
another context, the Supreme Court unearthed the long history behind
the right to petition and argued for the importance of this history
for future interpretation of the Petition Clause.
Following the Supreme Court’s direction, this Article examines the
implications of the history of petitioning for lobbying and, drawing
from recent empirical research on lobbying, argues that the way
Congress engages with the public through our current lobbying system
actually violates the right to petition. At the Founding, and for
much of this Nation’s history, the right of petition protected a
formal, transparent platform for individual — and, in particular,
minority — voices to participate in the lawmaking process. Without
regard to the number of signers or the political power of the
petitioner, petitions received equal process and consideration. This
platform allowed both the enfranchised and unenfranchised to gain
access to lawmakers on equal footing. Women, African Americans, and
Native Americans all engaged in petitioning activity, and Congress
attended to each equally.
Moving beyond ahistorical, decontextualized interpretations of the
Petition Clause, this Article posits that our current lobbying
system — wherein access and procedure are informal, opaque, and
based on political power — actually violates the right to petition,
which provided access and formal procedure without respect to the
political power of the petitioner. The history of petitioning
teaches that affording access to the lawmaking process on the basis
of an individual’s political power makes as little sense as
affording access to courts on such a basis.
This history suggests the need for revisiting the Petition Clause
doctrine. On the one hand, it argues for a stronger petition right,
especially a right to consideration and response. On the other hand,
it suggests a narrowed petition right that protects only practices
that correspond with the traditional practice of petitioning.
Fundamentally, this Article demonstrates that a contextualized
understanding of the Petition Clause, grounded in an accurate
historical frame, requires comprehensive reform of our lobbying
system and a formalization of the petition process in order to
preserve our republican form of government.
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Posted inlobbying <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28>,Supreme Court
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
Shocker: Kobach Botches Spanish Language Voting Materials
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81736>
Posted onApril 11, 2016 7:18 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81736>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
KC Star
<http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article70943892.html>:
Spanish-language voter guides distributed by the Kansas secretary of
state’s office did not match the English-language version and
contained errors that could have resulted in people being unable to
register and vote.
The errors added fuel to complaints that Secretary of State Kris
Kobach’s voter registration policies pose hurdles for some voters,
including minorities. Ongoing lawsuits challenge the
proof-of-citizenship requirements he wrote and shepherded through
the Legislature.
Craig McCullah, who is in charge of the office’s publications and a
spokesman for Kobach, accepted responsibility for the errors and
said they resulted from a clerical mistake in updating the guides
for this year’s elections.
Kobach is a national embarrassment, even if this is an innocent mistake.
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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>
“Donald Trump Aide Accuses Ted Cruz’s Campaign of ‘Gestapo’ Tactics”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81734>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 8:12 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81734>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT
<http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/10/donald-trump-aide-accuses-ted-cruzs-campaign-of-gestapo-tactics/>:
Donald J. Trump’s new convention manager accused Senator Ted Cruz’s
campaign on Sunday of employing “Gestapo” delegate-wrangling tactics
and said Mr. Trump still had several paths to winning the nomination
before the July convention.
The remarks from Paul Manafort, whom Mr. Trump has hired to manage
the arcane process of a drawn-out nomination fight, came asMr. Cruz
swept the slate of delegates in Colorado
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/us/politics/ted-cruz-wins-majority-of-delegates-in-colorado.html?_r=0>this
weekend and continued to outmaneuver Mr. Trump in several states.
Mr. Manafort said that Mr. Cruz had been playing dirty but that the
Trump campaign was ready for a gritty battle for delegates.
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Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
“On MSNBC, Ex-GOP Staffer Details How The Purpose Of Voter ID Laws
Is To ‘Take People’s Constitutional Rights Away'”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81732>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 8:08 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81732>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Video from Chris Hayes show
<http://mediamatters.org/video/2016/04/07/on-msnbc-ex-gop-staffer-details-how-the-purpose/209825>.
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Posted infraudulent fraud squad <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>,The
Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“Congressman Grothman on his comments on voter ID: ‘I don’t know
what’s controversial'” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81730>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 8:06 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81730>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
FOX6
<http://fox6now.com/2016/04/07/i-dont-know-whats-controversial-congressman-grothman-reacts-to-voter-id-law-comments/>:
Grothman said he simply meant an honest election makes Republican
voters feel better.
“We have no idea how much cheating was going on two years ago, four
years ago, eight years ago — but to me as a Republican, the more we
can do to make sure the elections are honest, the better I feel
about it,” said Grothman.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81730&title=%26%238220%3BCongressman%20Grothman%20on%20his%20comments%20on%20voter%20ID%3A%20%26%238216%3BI%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20what%E2%80%99s%20controversial%27%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted infraudulent fraud squad <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>,The
Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“Al Sharpton Stopped by Saturday Night Live to Talk Voter
Suppression With Al Sharpton” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81728>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 8:01 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81728>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Slate has the video.
<http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/04/10/al_sharpton_cameos_on_saturday_night_live.html>
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81728&title=%26%238220%3BAl%20Sharpton%20Stopped%20by%20Saturday%20Night%20Live%20to%20Talk%20Voter%20Suppression%20With%20Al%20Sharpton%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted inelection law "humor" <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=52>,The
Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
“Federal Prosecutors Cast a Wider Net in New York City Hall Inquiry”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81726>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 7:56 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81726>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT:
<http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/11/nyregion/federal-prosecutors-cast-a-wider-net-in-new-york-city-hall-inquiry.html>
Signs of a sprawling municipal investigation in New York City have
emerged in a seemingly random fashion over the last week. Four
senior police officials were abruptly transferred or put on modified
duty. A Manhattan restaurateur was arrested and charged with
operating aPonzi scheme
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/frauds_and_swindling/ponzi_schemes/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>.
Among his investors were two men who had raised money for MayorBill
de Blasio
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/bill_de_blasio/index.html?inline=nyt-per>,
and one of the men was also a generous campaign donor.
What ties these developments together — and others unfolding behind
the scenes — is a long-running and wide-ranging federal
investigation that has come to focus on possiblecorruption involving
Mr. de Blasio’s campaign fund-raising
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/nyregion/bill-de-blasio-campaign-fund-raising-subject-to-us-corruption-inquiry.html>,
the first major inquiry of its kind during the mayor’s two-year tenure.
A federal grand jury in Manhattan has begun hearing evidence in the
case, according to several people briefed on the matter. The inquiry
has come to focus on the two fund-raisers: Jona Rechnitz, who raised
money for Mr. de Blasio’s campaign and was also a donor to both the
campaign and to a nonprofit group that supported the mayor’s agenda;
and Jeremy Reichberg, who held a fund-raiser for that nonprofit.
Federal wiretaps in the case have captured their conversations, two
of the people said, without elaborating on the substance of the
discussions.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81726&title=%26%238220%3BFederal%20Prosecutors%20Cast%20a%20Wider%20Net%20in%20New%20York%20City%20Hall%20Inquiry%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,chicanery
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>
“Trump: Primary process ‘corrupt’ on both sides”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81724>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 7:53 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81724>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
The Hill
<http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/275789-trump-primary-processes-on-both-sides-corrupt>:
Republican presidential front-runnerDonald Trump
<http://thehill.com/people/donald-trump>on Sunday said the primary
process on both the Republican and Democratic sides is corrupt.
Trump referenced Democratic presidential candidateBernie Sanders
<http://thehill.com/people/bernie-sanders>, who has won eight of the
past nine Democratic contests, noting that people still say he
doesn’t have a path to the nomination.
“I watch Bernie. He wins, he wins, he keeps winning, winning and
winning and then I see he’s got no chance. They always say he’s got
no chance. Why doesn’t he have a chance?” Trump asked during a rally
in Rochester, N.Y.
“Because the system is corrupt. And it’s worse on the Republican side.”
Trump called the system “crooked.”
“I’m not a fan of Bernie, I couldn’t care less as far as I’m
concerned. I couldn’t care less about Bernie, but he wins and he
wins, like me.”
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81724&title=%26%238220%3BTrump%3A%20Primary%20process%20%26%238216%3Bcorrupt%26%238217%3B%20on%20both%20sides%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted inprimaries <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
“As Campaigns Seek Delegates, Ordinary Voters Feel Sidelined”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81722>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 10:47 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81722>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/us/politics/primary-process-is-seen-as-in-conflict-with-democracy.html?_r=1>:
When it comes to nominating presidential candidates, it turns out the
world’s foremost democracy is not so purely democratic.
For decades, both major parties have used a somewhat convoluted
process for picking their nominees, one that involves ordinary
voters in only an indirect way. As Americans flock this year to
outsider candidates, the kind most hindered by these rules, they are
suddenly waking up to this reality. And their confusion and anger
are adding another volatile element to an election being waged over
questions of fairness and equality.
In Nashville a week ago, supporters ofDonald J. Trump
<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/donald-trump-on-the-issues.html?inline=nyt-per>accused
Republican leaders of trying to stack the state’s delegate slate
with people who were anti-Trump. The Trump campaign posted the
cellphone number of the state party chairman on Twitter, leading him
to be inundated with calls. Several dozen people showed up at the
meeting at which delegates were being named, banged on the windows
and demanded to be let in.
Backers of SenatorBernie Sanders
<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/bernie-sanders-on-the-issues.html?inline=nyt-per>,
bewildered at why he keeps winning states but cannot seem to cut
intoHillary Clinton
<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/hillary-clinton-on-the-issues.html?inline=nyt-per>’s
delegate count because of her overwhelming lead with
“superdelegates,” have used Reddit and Twitter to start an
aggressive pressure campaign to flip votes.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81722&title=%26%238220%3BAs%20Campaigns%20Seek%20Delegates%2C%20Ordinary%20Voters%20Feel%20Sidelined%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>,political
parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,voting
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31>
“Sheldon Adelson and top GOP donors retreat to the sidelines”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81720>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 10:45 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81720>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Politico
<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/sheldon-adelson-gop-donors-sidelines-221765>:
Dispirited over a Republican Party primary that has devolved into an
ugly, damaging fight, some of the GOP’s biggest financiers are
reevaluating whether to invest in the 2016 presidential contest at all.
Among those on the sidelines: Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire
casino mogul who hosted the Republican Jewish Coalition’s spring
meeting at his Venetian hotel this weekend. His apparent ambivalence
about 2016 was shared by many RJC members here. With grave doubts
about the viability of the few remaining Republican contenders, many
of these Republican donors have decided to sit out the rest of the
primary entirely. And while some are reluctantly getting behind a
remaining candidate, others are shifting their attention to
congressional contests.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81720&title=%26%238220%3BSheldon%20Adelson%20and%20top%20GOP%20donors%20retreat%20to%20the%20sidelines%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Evenwel v. Abbott: Every Person (and Every Win) Counts”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81718>
Posted onApril 10, 2016 10:41 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81718>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Janai Nelson blogs
<http://hamilton-griffin.com/evenwel-v-abbott-every-person-and-every-win-counts-by-janai-nelson/>at
Hamilton and Griffin on Rights.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D81718&title=%26%238220%3BEvenwel%20v.%20Abbott%3A%20Every%20Person%20%28and%20Every%20Win%29%20Counts%26%238221%3B&description=>
Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>,Supreme Court
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
“Utah Supreme Court rejects GOP arguments in election law dispute”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81716>
Posted onApril 9, 2016 6:25 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81716>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
KSL:
<https://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=39238154&nid=148&title=utah-supreme-court-rejects-gop-arguments-in-election-law-dispute>
The Utah Supreme Court ruled against the Utah Republican Party on
Friday, mandating that candidates — not the party — can choose how
to access the primary election ballot.
The ruling comes during an ongoing battle over Utah’s new election
law, SB54, which gives candidates the option to collect signed
petitions, go through the state’s longstanding caucus and convention
system, or both to secure a spot in the primary election.
The GOP argued that the statute allows the decision to rest with the
party, which should be able to preclude a member from gathering
signatures. It’s an attempt — with the party’s conventions taking
place this month — to recognize only those candidates who go through
the party’s conventions.
But the state has contended that SB54 allows the candidate to choose
his or her own pathway to the ballot.
Share
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Posted inpolitical parties
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,primaries
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
“Mayor de Blasio’s Campaign Fund-Raising Scrutinized in U.S.
Corruption Inquiry” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81714>
Posted onApril 9, 2016 6:22 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81714>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/nyregion/bill-de-blasio-campaign-fund-raising-subject-to-us-corruption-inquiry.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0>:
A wide-ranging federal corruption investigation centered on two
businessmen with ties to MayorBill de Blasio
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/bill_de_blasio/index.html?inline=nyt-per>is
also examining some aspects of his campaign fund-raising, a person
with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
The investigation, which in recent days has garnered attention
because the focus on the two businessmen led federal agents to
interview roughly 20 seniorNew York Police Department
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/new_york_city_police_department/index.html?inline=nyt-org>officials,
has for some time been examining the ways the businessmen wielded
influence in New York City government, several people briefed on the
matter said.
That examination has included an aggressive review of Mr. de
Blasio’s campaign fund-raising, the person with knowledge of the
matter said. The investigation’s focus on Mr. de Blasio’s
fund-raising was reported on Friday night by WCBS-TV News.
It was unclear what specific aspect of the mayor’s fund-raising was
under scrutiny and how it related to the conduct of the two businessmen.
Share
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,chicanery
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>
--
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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