[EL] FEC Appointments

[Smith, Bradley]

Yesterday Republicans voted to confirm Democrat Shauna Broussard for the FEC 45-4. But Democrats voted against Republicans Sean Cooksey 46-1 and against Allen Dickerson 47-0. The Democratic opposition was led by the party's so-called "moderates," Klobuchar, Udall, Cortez Masto, and Warner.

Democrats are claiming that we need "unity," and are insisting that Republicans should give quick votes to Biden's picks and show deference to the President in his cabinet and other selections. If they were hoping for that, yesterday was not a good start.

Very poor strategy by the Democrats, and not a good omen for the next four years.

But hearty congratulations to the three new commissioners.

Bradley A. Smith
Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault Professor of Law
Capital University Law School
303 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 236-6317
Mobile:  (540) 287-8954


________________________________
From: Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> on behalf of Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, December 9, 2020 11:17 PM
To: Election Law Listserv <law-election at uci.edu>
Subject: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 12/10/20

Federal Court in Wisconsin Dismisses Another “Kraken” Lawsuit<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119484&c=E,1,K2rumwwdE4_NYKjcF4l42ruMDG4AmlKEozeAUNNGjBKW07eCjt91cZkC1Gr69h-fOP9GBvomnUOQa5VNBihzv0VDcutErYVzaTYkRzCc67-10hLj2D_MfW9pdw,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 8:11 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119484&c=E,1,fje2TVdYIOiH01A5MzgiVaUU33LhU8qmJCCcEXlScJ0s-AU6COA8RSV_7hWDrxTy22aPfjkSatWUVuId9zrI9GTyzbrIH8VjUQu4YXigtmMPMw,,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,Wvep-02iUr44zs84rzWIty-RUhK7qVMDktWFP8emIGN8jtj4aXLhLk37iqdCXsPIyycFh6TsSsk17rudY3xnBZ_gy0MajsHlGCoyaqzodM1FIM9UXQ,,&typo=1>

>From the decision<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fassets.documentcloud.org%2fdocuments%2f20422040%2ffeehanord120920.pdf&c=E,1,G3h6gCLNEgY2F_jh7SkZ2AvPI-MbA_yXO8rwqSFWRhog_Y1qrurBZ33qO4YeZShYzw5MeMdb7TpRmFRKQBCX-dga7QeUp_sWxPXoJ_uWSGwOnK0,&typo=1>:

The election that preceded this lawsuit was emotional and often divisive.
The pleadings that have been filed over the past week are passionate and
urgent. People have strong, deep feelings about the right to vote, the freedom and opportunity to vote and the value of their vote. They should. But the legal question at the heart of this case is simple. Federal courts have limited jurisdiction. Does a federal court have the jurisdiction and authority to grant the relief this lawsuit seeks? The answer is no.

Federal judges do not appoint the president in this country. One wonders
why the plaintiffs came to federal court and asked a federal judge to do so. After a week of sometimes odd and often harried litigation, the court is no closer to answering the “why.” But this federal court has no authority or jurisdiction to grant the relief the remaining plaintiff seeks. The court will
dismiss the case.

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“17 Republican Attorneys General Back Trump in Far-Fetched Election Lawsuit”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119482&c=E,1,6ZGbcVGSXhDtIxNdH_P3dxlKupqHMNwUb13wR-OV2ezJDnSNI0ls2vKd4_OLBosgUHLqRUXSbWcVQ9E2eMlHeaSFn3KJ3eD-_KMYT_Y5t98,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 8:04 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119482&c=E,1,zEX3GmgHZonsanXE6zV-9FlDbkXjh-dWoQs0JBzUNpiV-fmUb0RbyPqAosoYkhGxT3fkFdFVxmt1APSVHUIjLYcFJ9476kJf-4udyCdjO_S1oa3NBIMkdsuqEBc3&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,UvwkqqiM_f8ss-w3cvOxqkVqJbheQ0gW-YAFnBl4GcIYG7Rdfj0A39_MlMf2kJKjAEj6WlflVrOB8suq5YjJzpnQJA9fMQKkxHHdf6lxhO27MjjXijfzasOodQ,,&typo=1>

NYT:<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/us/politics/trump-texas-supreme-court-lawsuit.html>

Despite dozens of judges and courts rejecting challenges to the election, Republican attorneys general in 17 states on Wednesday backed President Trump in his increasingly desperate and audacious legal campaign to reverse the results.

The show of support, in a brief filed<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2fDocketPDF%2f22%2f22O155%2f163215%2f20201209144840609_2020-12-09%2520-%2520Texas%2520v.%2520Pennsylvania%2520-%2520Amicus%2520Brief%2520of%2520Missouri%2520et%2520al.%2520-%2520Final%2520with%2520Tables.pdf&c=E,1,1ioE-foR_MljH-40AkYHkzjJm6JxUTJqjR2bzw4U-ottuhleBmBhh8fm3FvePeIZ0JxejPcmwVQzFDVjwIBDkX_EY50iIY7yJZ-YWuHJ9uAmHg,,&typo=1> with the Supreme Court, represented the latest attempt by Trump loyalists to use the power of public office to come to his aid as he continues to deny the reality of his loss with baseless claims of voter fraud.

The move is an effort to bolster a lawsuit filed <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/us/politics/texas-files-an-audacious-suit-with-the-supreme-court-challenging-the-election-results.html> on Tuesday by the pro-Trump attorney general in Texas that seeks to delay the certification of the presidential electors in four battleground states the president lost. Mr. Trump has been holding out hope that the Supreme Court will hear the case and ultimately award him a second term. Legal experts are skeptical, however, and have largely dismissed it as a publicity stunt.

Late Tuesday, the president asked Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican, if he would be willing to argue the case, according to a person familiar with their conversation. Mr. Cruz agreed, this person said. And the president has filed a motion<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2fDocketPDF%2f22%2f22O155%2f163234%2f20201209155327055_No.%252022O155%2520Original%2520Motion%2520to%2520Intervene.pdf&c=E,1,xI0NuuB0exLhvGDKouKWokPdi3xyVNLZIeNazCoNIF6kByw8_nhUYuALMKCg92duEi2MeJVKqNNvZdzxCXFGfK3UWaWCh2nLrDZDT-rpyYDzTFhWZ6ZhnKs,&typo=1> with the court to intervene, which would make him a party to the case.

The willingness of so many Republican politicians to publicly involve themselves in a legal campaign to invalidate the ballots of millions of Americans shows how singular a figure Mr. Trump remains in the G.O.P. That these political allies are also elected officials whose jobs involve enforcing laws, including voting rights, underscores the extraordinary nature of the brief to the court. Even in defeat — a reality that a significant number of Republicans refuse to accept, polls<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-poll/half-of-republicans-say-biden-won-because-of-a-rigged-election-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN27Y1AJ> show<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2ffivethirtyeight.com%2ffeatures%2fmore-republicans-distrust-this-years-election-results-than-democrats-after-2016%2f&c=E,1,JZ104Foc_Y-46-v4LjV97y8tLtpeutRTBiARFjvFpD1_zLhLS1HHZu8p3M6EJqs-Xbe7z-hhcfTGGejRdQqwxRdKDWB7su1nde8O1H1Anjby71Ky_Q,,&typo=1> — allegiance to Mr. Trump is viewed as the ticket to higher office.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119482&title=%E2%80%9C17%20Republican%20Attorneys%20General%20Back%20Trump%20in%20Far-Fetched%20Election%20Lawsuit%E2%80%9D>

Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d8&c=E,1,VFqMpC2emeQvxnPLrUeoVcIK4w3Tmvqv6fo8wFsBcAnGTs9PXjtCGSuB6r6PNMWHTcwQAdG2ANarPvDmUdv55_-mVKgpbRZC_CbUpi8KW4FP4KQtxH3L&typo=1>





“Senate confirms three FEC commissioners, restoring full slate for the first time since 2017”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119480&c=E,1,D-PSptRkJ43fXnwedcA8_wbUdIyhgi1_T9bRKWGkEyuf7jARA_DDgDPTm8eBf9wWtcgbhoS9ieozSLsVe5-vqMU2tZHwqOcWbjAIq7POFL4lezLzO7CR36eGAg,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 7:59 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119480&c=E,1,8OV0TJ9SOJ3dUDSxhThWYMW2jbCu8uZTJEPoRFs2hZtRo4cGkjNZChxXCp-0kssoWiMGuTydCis7VleEpo-ESi0YAYHROAqqMMjtEegGEMb4KfkH-ko,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,C5Tvtg8maNaucDnFre0gb7faH8rqy78SQ3wETCcKIjQlPL9abDy1YXKosza_JUkJvaSF4jGolf9MGItXfTgqGWiDpCyqxEdS55MuRkq2n5XbP_vX&typo=1>

WaPo:<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-election-commission-vote/2020/12/09/68584e22-3a3e-11eb-bc68-96af0daae728_story.html>

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed three members to the Federal Election Commission, restoring the agency’s ability to conduct official business after months without a voting quorum and bringing the panel to its full slate of six members for the first time since 2017.

The confirmations come at the conclusion of the 2020 elections, which are projected to cost $14 billion and be the most expensive. The commission, which regulates and enforces federal campaign finance laws, had a voting quorum for just 29 days in the summer<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-appointee-resigns-from-federal-election-commission-once-again-leaving-it-without-a-quorum/2020/06/26/29e81f34-b7c9-11ea-a8da-693df3d7674a_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_3>. It has not been able to conduct official business for the majority of the 2019-2020 election cycle, amid mounting backlogs of complaints and advisory opinion requests.

The new commissioners are Shana M. Broussard, current FEC attorney and the first Black commissioner; Sean J. Cooksey, general counsel for GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and the youngest person to become a commissioner; and Allen Dickerson, legal director of the Institute for Free Speech, which opposes campaign finance restrictions. Broussard is a Democrat, and Cooksey and Dickerson are Republicans.

With their confirmations, the commission is again equally divided ideologically, which could resume the FEC’s practice of often deadlocking on alleged election violations. Federal law requires more than one party to be represented on the FEC.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119480&title=%E2%80%9CSenate%20confirms%20three%20FEC%20commissioners%2C%20restoring%20full%20slate%20for%20the%20first%20time%20since%202017%E2%80%9D>

Posted in campaign finance<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d10&c=E,1,s-sBzaAMXGKuMGlawcaqLK9XMcOJYeB_TtUusnrssFhNjZAymIcJuheXHtiEw323fEZudOcoRT8tJx8sfm1n5vN4pDlOJbnWSNW_6sCClbd6HZWV&typo=1>, federal election commission<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d24&c=E,1,YL1v2fYNZaXclD3ySpjGyX1pO4YWpJumlyudokyixKYNkG9EA32ceLxTgR6WIfXKzWvlIQN-_Mg_1LMWNIbqijb2hDpjXm8FfnQsEQVuFFAnn4AM&typo=1>





“Trump’s effort to steal the election comes down to some utterly ridiculous statistical claims”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119478&c=E,1,3N-uTtP53nvx2o_sKwn9_HOvIVZc3xZI2LE-oeItDTcmxUfR7PXD3aDcPpgxeWj43kU5Q7VOoLMPTgrIy0H2rZZjDD8aYB_yZM1yJlFx3_nzjaht&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 7:56 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119478&c=E,1,_VYJHwmTTAVeystjyb_ozjUZi9oclwwkkPAt5JIh3IayxPO5BI547XMhB9PgRCs9iZCFAm6u7MP9--OpI54QDpJlia3lCsKGkkRhUSXaSA,,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,WR8kFpAqXKBlzhNRMK60_C8J6BBpq7UH4s_BI4DK3-j8XO_lKrO-FA3IjVuQBySF-aYnOKu0I27KG4mY3kHliTwbJgRVwCKnkWOajWur72llB3AAy52w&typo=1>

Philip Bump <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/09/trumps-effort-steal-election-comes-down-some-utterly-ridiculous-statistical-claims/> for WaPo.

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Posted in Uncategorized<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d1&c=E,1,xXbW2H4LtGn-vmVfz9jGECaNOB3vE5jUum2oOBELYh7GCTVrZS63gK1ImNbedXcWew6F4JFppFNcSK-c9Sb2sFHdow4BCvm2SRVSP-6ZoS6hZ5m3EYbLfPrANg,,&typo=1>





Must-read Lisa Manheim: “Texas can’t block votes cast in other states. Absurdly, it’s trying.”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119476&c=E,1,Cl7byl119G86Lj6ubCNM_NY_9xfXKsFq_xUnEaH63WphDxEp9eeRleZUWUMLhVvXytUWPqGXK_B4R6wd5sWqseXSO1npftQ6LWEhy2bP0JwCRX1Ifr_wkUVZgj4,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 7:35 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119476&c=E,1,FCoOV6cP_FQbE9_ome8AIOP6HWOCDgXA3EjFTgbN6sXdUnX38HmLf_OSVG3r4kx2ckGlREKB7l9nX4KXe7jwJVPX6TrfQPq4sasaNgLiSVNun5t9WjaTIQ,,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,FypR70TNkKPxfR0tY3MJjXJqKuRUxpMyl5ZmaXtHPBqy4-2l6lb155nmztALc2eAMKXazQilu9stOMPV4Cq626SYwpUDaORjhcCFNYQFjojBvK80ZXA,&typo=1>

Lisa Manheim<https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/12/09/texas-supreme-court-election-lawsuit/> in WaPo:

The litigation is legally incoherent, factually untethered and based on theories of remedy that fundamentally misunderstand the electoral process. At the core, it is an uninspired retread of the many state-level claims that already have imploded<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-thought-courts-were-key-to-winning-judges-disagreed/2020/12/08/20f153f2-3913-11eb-aad9-8959227280c4_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_7> since Nov. 3. Texas has simply delivered these defective claims in an even worse package.

Among the more novel flaws afflicting this lawsuit is that Texas should not have filed it. Texas does not have standing<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fsupreme.justia.com%2fcases%2ffederal%2fus%2f549%2f437%2f&c=E,1,ctHtWR45k5_TTPGtnw8R96LQXESIXmczkz5UgLhkj97mJU6zzArdNIq8bRfZd1nLx-0RaNE2mf4CPgJBFMMpvFWqyz5zQEBLx7715IT9kA,,&typo=1> in federal court to vindicate the voting rights of other states’ voters — much less standing to undercut the rights of those voters. Independently, Texas officials should not have filed these claims directly in the Supreme Court. Filing directly is improper because other courts have been available<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fsupreme.justia.com%2fcases%2ffederal%2fus%2f406%2f91%2f&c=E,1,MDsBZt-1E1QGfkS67H2HtdxO8a2tcaToMSu0d8ugDaZmzqcv5MN9kYL3NyrKB7lZFMJ8udnDBgKFwuGK8qcYy7DqjibWbzFIKJU0-ka6gxArqLeG1IZd2WIm&typo=1> to hear claims of this nature — and, indeed, other courts have heard and repeatedly rejected them.

Yet another, separate problem with this lawsuit relates to timing. Even if the claims were otherwise valid, Texas should not have brought them so late in the process. A fundamental principle of election law involves what’s called laches<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.iojt.org%2f__data%2fassets%2fpdf_file%2f0022%2f8158%2fchapterten-proofed2.pdf&c=E,1,SLCk2xZzNZhiCLgDtTsNJ9G9vYOxhn9brJ1HIwPrYKoS2-lbVMTIdiBLmhifN-X1TOhtngP9RUtO4iUrNH-spqEuOHWAlfg16pDY8bKfzQ,,&typo=1>, which is a principle that prevents litigants from filing challenges after an election when they could have been brought beforehand. This principle helps to ensure that voters, when casting their ballots, can rely on the rules set in place. Texas has filed its lawsuit over a month after the 2020 elections — and on the date of the safe harbor deadline<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/safe-harbor-law-locks-congress-into-accepting-bidens-win/2020/12/08/3afcb948-3914-11eb-aad9-8959227280c4_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_11>, no less, which provides further assurance that Congress will accept the electoral votes of any state that has completed its post-election processes. This lawsuit runs headfirst into a veritable wall of laches.

 pile on further, the lawsuit demands a particularly inappropriate remedy: that the Supreme Court tell other state legislatures what to do. It appears impossible to square this extraordinary demand with basic constitutional principles, much less the Supreme Court’s recently strengthened<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2fopinions%2f17pdf%2f16-476_dbfi.pdf&c=E,1,ZdBd33VuGgWObT5pxqv0jdXrT5mbyIj45Djjxog02K4TJdLQ4bjMFUic0KU53V7GO77deKIl8zbRqV5SZMFK7psCD4ZPnQwJL26jZWDFk2UcEgHP&typo=1> conception of states’ rights.

Each of these problems ensures that Texas’s lawsuit will fail. But it would have failed anyway, for the many reasons that so many lawsuits filed after the 2020 elections have failed. Like the others, this lawsuit seeks to invalidate the votes of a wide swath of people: here, some 20 million — 20 million — Americans across four states. And like those other lawsuits, it premises this outrageous request not on an airtight legal theory based on solid evidence, but instead on the opposite. Its substantive legal arguments make no sense. It seems to imply, for example, that the 14th Amendment precludes Wisconsin from using drop boxes and requires Georgia to empower its officials to unilaterally reject ballots. (It does neither.) Many of these arguments, in turn, are based on factual allegations that are inflammatory and not based in reality — and that repeatedly have been debunked. It is telling that the name of the Texas solicitor general, the state official typically in charge<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.scotusblog.com%2f2020%2f12%2ftexas-tries-hail-mary-to-block-election-outcome%2f&c=E,1,atQrM9ZlYAHzjnkBgCOxDx23t8E98c83Qos9Np3zsV-wgJx0MW6HjBxprllC4zSbXMHNBB6PASSoT-31eqUP64tSQAKC0RDFZk8IHgFxPU0oY3MHWn3y0jnZ&typo=1> of litigation before the Supreme Court, does not appear on these filings at all. One wonders if he was too embarrassed to sign.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119476&title=Must-read%20Lisa%20Manheim%3A%20%E2%80%9CTexas%20can%E2%80%99t%20block%20votes%20cast%20in%20other%20states.%20Absurdly%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20trying.%E2%80%9D>

Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d8&c=E,1,maRsalCACMYfEiutklvCgbyGSWqPPpCxFTrTG3zJ6FIvZaeFyvVWJxtv160brG_N9KeSRKDNbIuE21KFKpmJpexkI9_BEtFVTRfpWDY1elU,&typo=1>, Supreme Court<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d29&c=E,1,BliI5itNnh3Xra5cG3HBlG2jtJidnWTWKPGQE2C5YHKuYfToF6o79VPLzwLapLIbmOZKII4FKxNmJp3PBvy_CGcjh7bOO9umFvkvPj4R39ewij5UGEc_EzQs&typo=1>





“What If We Wrote the Constitution Today? Proposals from libertarian, conservative, and progressive scholars displayed a few striking differences—but also some profound similarities”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119474&c=E,1,zIf57h_xNNBDfmUQQsTzDsk5gMUy9uUZJcrR0bprpRUBKXLXG5b3wTYo7c8d_m4kxoTYsg6XNpIYWiVbshd0RczN0-bjdeUS3swWz1KX4dPa9G3jla2gVFuZLw,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 7:30 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119474&c=E,1,XMz29XjB9B9pAh4uCw6EZvgAOk6XsHXvNaV0G5kUz10iBbMWCD99kKFo5RKAwkO0hs28PuHd-eOY8hDQ61MAXqCESQx3SDxnHwrehD5RzRVj&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,IRhlOBCMYFmoZqwqf-TxYxvPtnt-O6AwAgcqGtmcAqcHyDFnLhoe3bPGeFcgWFFDbHs2_U8ZdrLNq--YV7VzjyvJ0Z5mfkhFm55wt5uM&typo=1>

Jeff Rosen:<https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/what-if-we-could-rewrite-constitution/617304/>

As the world’s oldest written constitution, the U.S. Constitution has been remarkably resilient. For more than 230 years, it has provided the foundation for America’s economic prosperity, political stability, and democratic debate. But during the past two centuries, changes in politics, technology, and values have led many to assume that if Americans set out to write a new Constitution today, the document would be quite different. To find out what a new Constitution might look like, my colleagues and I at the National Constitution Center recently asked three teams of scholars—conservative, progressive, and libertarian—to draft new Constitutions for the United States of America in 2020<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fconstitutioncenter.org%2fdebate%2fspecial-projects%2fconstitution-drafting-project&c=E,1,n7KkYu67XrE4sks2K-SKqFPwPl3EJhGnfMGNuyrmvi3XYfIrkcd_RS_oifsIoKY684ScNS6wZggmdip8xQHybJfgPo11AdGQaCx_HyaR_ZBtDcKVptepAB-vKw,,&typo=1> from scratch.

The results surprised us. As expected, each of the three teams highlights different values: The team of conservatives emphasizes Madisonian deliberation; the progressives, democracy and equality; and the libertarians, unsurprisingly, liberty. But when the groups delivered their Constitutions—which are published here<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fconstitutioncenter.org%2fdebate%2fspecial-projects%2fconstitution-drafting-project&c=E,1,WxQSYsxodH4qysyGDMzfgPUFnwWJ1_VOtrPYv6bFx6kmeH2mbvPZROZKHPt2PAFZm0RcydtJMPWHpsHBA6t2I6t61axMlEfuKDNYVl3AzDTIiPnTPEMFDzcXuWU,&typo=1>—all three proposed to reform the current Constitution rather than abolish it.

Even more unexpectedly, they converge in several of their proposed reforms, focusing on structural limitations on executive power rather than on creating new rights. All three teams agree on the need to limit presidential power, explicitly allow presidential impeachments for non-criminal behavior, and strengthen Congress’s oversight powers of the president. And, more specifically, the progressive and conservative teams converge on the need to elect the president by a national popular vote (the libertarians keep the Electoral College); to resurrect Congress’s ability to veto executive actions by majority vote; and to adopt 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices. The unexpected areas of agreement suggest that, underneath the country’s current political polarization, there may be deep, unappreciated consensus about constitutional principles and needed reforms.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119474&title=%E2%80%9CWhat%20If%20We%20Wrote%20the%20Constitution%20Today%3F%20Proposals%20from%20libertarian%2C%20conservative%2C%20and%20progressive%20scholars%20displayed%20a%20few%20striking%20differences%E2%80%94but%20also%20some%20profound%20similarities%E2%80%9D>

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“Trump pressures congressional Republicans to help in his fight to overturn the election”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119472&c=E,1,b4CC6ie2eTD7shKUjOh77eAfY5IafAvz-x6GQCHk3BV93Y47nKsV1imo77tuMOGJaqUFbBPtDM43VPhsijO2QD2xzobPI6cDH8lsEpYOxX8,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 5:52 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119472&c=E,1,qiodQ0GfZ8tW0SeEMBd-27Ch0zCEHhsCKymkVysSGBYA0s_Z9Qk-_ikUaF1irDkGDSbC_TfopfG5nlexZLLegvpFf29X-3pzDmvLrvA_&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,NPacx6xfAJOFDrLIej-iFVB2CaMg4ZzQEYUPy4J2kkPIpMjbgMQtG6uWOc2PHaztdRTbh3tp2m9YcK0fBfPK7_r9ZxzQsFOmyLsodPePNn0CCnXp1TJsIdoTowo,&typo=1>

WaPo:<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-republicans-biden-election/2020/12/09/abd596ea-3a4e-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html>

President Trump is shifting his focus to Congress after the courts roundly rejected his bid to overturn the results of the election, pressuring congressional Republicans into taking a final stand to keep him in power.

Trump’s push is part of a multipronged approach as he also seeks to lobby state and federal lawmakers to give him cover for his unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, as well as rally support for a last-gasp legal challenge in the Supreme Court that election law experts almost universally dismiss.

The president has been calling Republicans, imploring them to keep fighting and more loudly proclaim the election was stolen while pressing them on what they plan to do. He spoke to Arizona GOP Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, on Wednesday, and is expected to meet Thursday at the White House with several state attorneys general. Meanwhile, Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer and point man in the legal fight, has been making similar calls from the hospital, where he is being treated for covid-19….

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Trump’s conservative allies in the House have been privately buttonholing GOP senators, seeking to enlist one to join in objecting to slates of electors on Jan. 6, according to multiple people familiar with their effort who requested anonymity to discuss their plans.

On that day, Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes and declare Joe Biden as the 46th president — with Pence presiding. But if a member of the House and Senate challenge a state’s results, the whole Congress would vote — and the GOP plotting all but assures the routine process could take a dramatic turn, forcing Republicans to choose between accepting the election results or Trump’s bid to overturn the outcome….

The Jan. 6 date in Congress looms large as Trump’s last chance, with the purpose of calls to state lawmakers to get them to pressure members of Congress. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) has said he will challenge the results though it is unclear how many slates of electors he and other Trump allies plan to contest.AD

The question is whether they can find a Senate Republican to join their effort to trigger votes in the House and Senate.

Earlier this week, Brooks and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), leader of the House Freedom Caucus, met privately with the Senate Republican Steering Committee leaders, including Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). According to people familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the House members pitched both men on their plan and made clear that they need a Senate Republican to join their effort.

The offices of both senators declined to comment on the meeting or whether the senators would heed the request. Asked about the matter Tuesday, Cruz dodged the question and said the courts would be the final decision on the election.

“There are multiple lawsuits raising allegations of fraud and irregularities in this election,” Cruz said. “We need to allow the judicial process to work its way through and resolve those claims.”

Conservatives also have been eyeing Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who may have future presidential ambitions and would join the effort to make a last stand for Trump.

Republicans also hope to recruit Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who is locked in a competitive Georgia runoff election set for Jan. 5. Conservatives believe that if she were to announce that she will join the House effort and object to state electors, Loeffler could rally the GOP base and secure her election against Democrat Raphael Warnock.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119472&title=%E2%80%9CTrump%20pressures%20congressional%20Republicans%20to%20help%20in%20his%20fight%20to%20overturn%20the%20election%E2%80%9D>

Posted in Uncategorized<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d1&c=E,1,Yp-ODAzi-RWvB2Q-FTbAR3dKImuZKWVRGE-25ZDOPXdOlilpo_lxJqaMylotVQU1etthGWNYPIzhs4vyUmxfrfdZHd73-dzOBnE7j7CfcVYU8sQh8w,,&typo=1>





“Trump warns Georgia AG not to rally other Republicans against Texas lawsuit”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119470&c=E,1,DtHB1aBdn-Ve8Be-pAtchlye77IRgfoAglawn2QF8VjRtZS2Euoh9y7CqVA0GayKQI86qpOf1kI2Df_fjLKo9SbcYu9qFf5J6ZiUacpo7lgEDhIpX04,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 4:59 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119470&c=E,1,WmBhGgjy7iQ7R8tg4KnPJCnpDywBYtmUElZjx5Mt6eP58R_qXVoNdutQGjOVukeg9u9udt8gLe8S5KGJSQlkSdTrExeb1-tdav536b24O5w,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,VkEN-ICnU4NxiHoQ3NC5Bpg1ipia7sPpiP1VwVJWoxD977yrEthWUnJ7KcDatf0DaKJSV-afylp8yOxTXCClLONx7l_ia6SETJki49lS&typo=1>

AJC<https://www.ajc.com/politics/trump-warns-georgia-ag-not-to-rally-other-republicans-against-texas-lawsuit/37ASZD4PJNENHOLVIXZHRXCIJI/>:

President Donald Trump warned Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr not to rally other Republican officials against a long-shot Texas lawsuit <https://www.ajc.com/politics/texas-sues-georgia-to-try-to-overturn-election-results/EVEDMTX2J5E2DJ3O6FOGMDS7PM/> seeking to toss out the state’s election results, according to several people with direct knowledge of the conversation.

The roughly 15-minute phone call late Tuesday came shortly before U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue issued a joint statement saying they “fully support” the improbable lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject election results in Georgia and three other battleground states that Trump lost.

Earlier in the day, Carr’s office called the lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.” The complaint asks the justices to delay the Monday deadline for certification of presidential electors in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119470&title=%E2%80%9CTrump%20warns%20Georgia%20AG%20not%20to%20rally%20other%20Republicans%20against%20Texas%20lawsuit%E2%80%9D>

Posted in chicanery<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d12&c=E,1,xeqWYyq8sLAQ-BNWt1LbkbJYb4Ju2zgFbvf6q4x3I62iJy_uGZKClihjUHtvqxOt782K4gW5Z9UkBlfSQgC2gCK1ypWc_OLTv3kwNAUw71L37NseBca20-AT&typo=1>, fraudulent fraud squad<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d8&c=E,1,4a7Da7aKMCp2Nr1-Lrspplr8w5ncEBj-iYBsxylJYWNrFDvI0aXm_zjXPABh_bB4HWdKwzo96QLWWL-O9dKc59bAR6qL75zCTV5E9M5RatCdNcu8fA,,&typo=1>





“Trump Asks Supreme Court To Let Him Join Widely Scorned Texas Election Lawsuit”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119468&c=E,1,3h35nQqNltzHhjoHn3W4cVMIj-ZMwMRqzYyTmravBJX_Kr2sPDjwXAnjmY9TQTlHgMqcjro2_0gJyWhRYh_cMvU0ggRN9YdMgrqr6npiAw,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 4:54 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119468&c=E,1,Q7ioG1dMGk_fECB0QvgRXEcMzztcqGbZfUklxXG2vQfE15rUuqhyMx9yA02R3SAsabt5f3RB2TP5vZX6oBbx6GwhoivKd1EIeZs2Vx4_5rH6qhot6k_8S99vV0Fe&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,dHlchdunyyGAq7KpOrQE7wk6HlD0pBeTrbevgKNRvSczPQ8upbe-ItjjlYKeOLs3xCjk55RF3gL5um7NZ3Hkar6KSvlCvIkVsp61uge5nGRZulQ3&typo=1>

Nina Totenberg<https://www.npr.org/2020/12/09/944744105/trump-asks-supreme-court-to-let-him-join-widely-scorned-texas-election-lawsuit> for NPR:

Just how little legal support there is for the lawsuit is evidenced by who signed the briefs asking the high court to intervene. Trump’s brief was not signed by acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall or any other Justice Department official. Rather, the brief was signed by John Eastman, a conservative law professor at Chapman University. (A Trump campaign statement said the president intervened “in his personal capacity as candidate for re-election.”)

The Texas brief was not signed by the state’s solicitor general, Kyle Hawkins. Paxton, who signed the Texas brief, remains under indictment over securities fraud and is also facing an FBI investigation on bribery and abuse of office allegations.

All of the briefs filed so far are in the form of a motion seeking permission to sue the states in the Supreme Court. As legal experts have noted, it is unclear what legal standing Trump, Texas or the 17 states supporting their move have for challenging the results of elections in other states.

Moreover, with the Electoral College slated to meet next week, this legal action amounts to little more than an eleventh hour Hail Mary pass. It is more like trying to stop the stop the game clock from ticking when all the players are walking off the field.

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119468&title=%E2%80%9CTrump%20Asks%20Supreme%20Court%20To%20Let%20Him%20Join%20Widely%20Scorned%20Texas%20Election%20Lawsuit%E2%80%9D>

Posted in Uncategorized<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d1&c=E,1,U3xoAYBetUGpWosPY62XoT-tQev7opIBwlDOM8AkUWWGsYWskSWVSyWPUCHM4CJd2DHUTUlY5NpXVCiezDgv3siRTlamXz0NlZ7TOsMLqZnHNDhU&typo=1>





Jonathan Adler’s Helpful Post on the “Squirrelly Brief” Filed by 18 States Supporting Texas in Trying to Overturn Election Results, Trump’s Brief, and the Important Carter Phillips Brief<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119466&c=E,1,rJWfn4OtweryRXUe6xskWDyKP7IU6zj-EDosZgx0YQe4BckuydLlQkcgSbzJclu6_2ownvaOwGG3fwahZPJOf47y3AdDc-KbKPXiB-4cLmQ88xeKe0K5Ug,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 3:49 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119466&c=E,1,lSp9drqDWE9Dz8ZuGdhBnKLAUMOPnoHy938TXss6ekmatPmZ1Jn2Iak-PpwKtO3dpX5AKT3UkBgqMa38J5szV5W5q1k4u2g2KLztJOZhAhE3MMMDzA,,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,zFn37dj3GEezrDfiFDeGfUi_vXK5cAtk4RICGH69q8xTxbKuJwjc3ibg5I5y2I6RUb9WbXV_z9WdWihkuH76ITWAOJdZ2chRL0C8A481cELCFF3HJj-zVHV3h5Y,&typo=1>

Read it here.<https://reason.com/volokh/2020/12/09/additional-filings-in-and-additional-thoughts-on-the-texas-election-suit/>

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119466&title=Jonathan%20Adler%E2%80%99s%20Helpful%20Post%20on%20the%20%E2%80%9CSquirrelly%20Brief%E2%80%9D%20Filed%20by%2018%20States%20Supporting%20Texas%20in%20Trying%20to%20Overturn%20Election%20Results%2C%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Brief%2C%20and%20the%20Important%20Carter%20Phillips%20Brief>

Posted in Uncategorized<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d1&c=E,1,gqmPODYmi1ghXihJ6Za2w8pfT9zv_8cSOcHvrp3oCPpZjhQsaU-iR6RrtvlSE0uQQDiuq3WL0RId9YF57N1OmL3YKBWFSd4e62JYvqtaXzQ8sJ8bqGwgLg,,&typo=1>





Carter Phillips Bipartisan Heavy Hitters Brief in Texas Case before SCOTUS: “the Constitution does not make this Court the multidistrict litigation panel for trials of presidential election disputes”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119464&c=E,1,J_fflXD_49BhJdXL6VZ6TVozRj0Nos1h7cAwvRmrA7fPpT7zcwDsgTW8nX12USiuHSiYTcG6CM4jz1stc9HdhqUBeTbwW-3dPIs6lh2ZUSL_zkPiM1G1&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 2:32 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119464&c=E,1,n_4aQzqTRwx6NeRV7sfyYPMHra1N19L_xb211WRB0ymAmlIaytvDCVvFbTS1r3_-68TKKKk6M0g_kU_HnWc1MN6eIK_oRSSUX5l4IPQZFJ0lgX9k&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,6pDkXR14MBAKMKvrdgS8-25WsyshO6AzcJ3wghGkZ6NkJ8r8yFONDza23srkmixpa9GZGkXlKnRjU4Jq6DLeqKbe3DmI8u0Z5gS4Av5Gzw,,&typo=1>

Great framing.<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2fDocketPDF%2f22%2f22O155%2f163237%2f20201209155924009_2020-12-9%2520Texas%2520Scotus%2520Amici%2520Brief-%2520FINAL.pdf&c=E,1,yIiQCXGKO1DTkzxK8pyPYmT5O9qUf78gSrBgPc_zjdmbRQsBsi8HbQF_FD-B-sttWFUs2LFE78YOzGHi0ApwLwzJDz10yvKbpWJU6dlI-3-S2ZXdczc,&typo=1>

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119464&title=Carter%20Phillips%20Bipartisan%20Heavy%20Hitters%20Brief%20in%20Texas%20Case%20before%20SCOTUS%3A%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20Constitution%20does%20not%20make%20this%20Court%20the%20multidistrict%20litigation%20panel%20for%20trials%20of%20presidential%20election%20disputes%E2%80%9D>

Posted in Uncategorized<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d1&c=E,1,FaSlI-f-500N7iS4OQj_DyT__5ta-cjF3Nghh5zDLfcbyIXwFjG6VgAEyeJy4lhrn69sp6hk5ygKlNdRV7wehUjn5nhq00jwC3B1fuOhtpLwatlDsWrBzxPyFjg,&typo=1>





It Appears That Trump’s Motion to Intervene in Bogus Texas Lawsuit to Overturn the Result of the Election Was Ghost-Written By Lawyer for Texas<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119462&c=E,1,BaOehLvFLuKkmjWZEBEIPc0jYXof9Tjt8zwFxQ6JL2e7ZlJ3C1uPzJZcV-veLMrA0PMid_rXYWbgP-VqoHQ19Mp02wzLBtXhWczTjrBLW5piKNm5tYulMw0DHwM,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 2:28 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119462&c=E,1,rqEzis87ZlD_HwUAFXTrpJSY0nDdBqulANtp46hQaF1ZXYgiXeKfXmiHdKyQc7AC9dyHHwEBBRP3hI_d_xA9azA5hUeH08H5eUYwmikU&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,AKku03J2wbvoJlPNttB8RfFPHzuinbX3qGGXjP5F1_-ZaP2eq8vDdEyfDT0L7I8LNxBIkfmKONoi3Ob49cBLI3xf5U0wgzG55oqyE8JEex8s3i4,&typo=1>

The Justices will not be amused<https://twitter.com/rickhasen/status/1336795297456869377>:

[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D119462&title=It%20Appears%20That%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Motion%20to%20Intervene%20in%20Bogus%20Texas%20Lawsuit%20to%20Overturn%20the%20Result%20of%20the%20Election%20Was%20Ghost-Written%20By%20Lawyer%20for%20Texas>

Posted in chicanery<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d12&c=E,1,9F-LyyAFNHQCyaHL5RmXS8ZQK30cuW_VHj6XBN_HQqVONyOYVIuvJYdbIRcVw0rjzzBi3tsaMgYe05nZ1YZtx_XeoygQeljx62mSh2kKFczNEJs,&typo=1>, Supreme Court<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d29&c=E,1,XdDM-M-ikLxUBiooijrL9fk8-AX2seDySxIq9uYqZ2rNrc6LvgN9VVL2D4nB3MvbrJegs7M3TwxZaZ_jQ9rZYO-DgqnrH-GjZrMowEuL8TNGp0vB0vI1&typo=1>





“How the Supreme Court Can Swiftly Dispose of the Texas Lawsuit Seeking to Overturn the Election”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119460&c=E,1,VJoz6ncpvTzS3RA6lleQNoqjLY2VY_OV-DRjEWd-6YRXRNjOnN9a696TeAi8Np5JHUQ6JMJaws6QJ5QCzCc9Ws1OSYclzoeCZqI42-ssfvu_UD3PRzdDOA,,&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 1:15 pm<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119460&c=E,1,KkC2wZWmKRBt7KxTBePRPqdbsEI9O1wJLW2-_I2hd8Q8gqII3cSTgyLsGlE_aDO-ZWN9HL5UWSb05XrZ0G23zj_n3bbSyGKCbl7WPTAA-gylJOp5ChP55fB1K-o,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,zFoa8F3P0DfpOIMIfFAIonZGqDDFqh9ATU7WmUhjru1HYyFNTzxX7oOTrswAbHdJyCecAjywWsDWsM-LeaIZke8BBhRTBUMtOAXxlr2cjg,,&typo=1>

Ilya Somin<https://reason.com/volokh/2020/12/09/how-the-supreme-court-can-swiftly-dispose-of-the-texas-lawsuit-seeking-to-overturn-the-election/> at Volokh:

Yesterday, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit essentially asking the Supreme Court to reverse the outcome of the presidential election in four key swing states—Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, thereby potentially giving Donald Trump a second term he failed to win at the ballot box. The case has been roundly denounced by legal commentators as utterly lacking in merit. Prominent election law scholar Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119395&c=E,1,7FiVZRosI_gp21c0JdVG1lGwQHVX99mZ9OlNZZb2MwuhtV9K2Mo0J9HQFC9VYjWfDGbcnR_E9Qj_F-xATIX0JNTVJ9bjf_Vn7MEyMCzg&typo=1> summarizes some of its defects and concludes that it may be the “the dumbest case I’ve ever seen filed on an emergency basis at the Supreme Court.” Co-blogger Jonathan Adler<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119395&c=E,1,ByjT3lJnCtY_L6W_OfPzBv5_l2xY4Lb_Hy5RXzQQmSPKlA2UEG5SgaLyyNtkph2iFYlLlhTOF3qJjzcb2T7zob2n4RfPAB0370ZnPoCXUtQi-CHwppo,&typo=1> points out a variety of procedural flaws in the case. David Post<https://reason.com/volokh/2020/12/09/more-on-statistical-stupidity-at-scotus/> highlights its reliance on bogus statistical “analysis.”

However, because this case is a lawsuit filed by one state against others, it falls within the Court’s “original jurisdiction”—the narrow set of cases that can be filed directly in the Supreme Court, without first being considered by lower courts. Therefore, the justices may not be able to reject it in the same way as they just refused to hear a GOP lawsuit<https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/08/supreme-court-wont-hear-trump-allies-challenge-pennsylvania-vote/6483060002/> seeking to overturn the result in Pennsylvania.

At the same time, however, there is precedent for the Court dispensing with state vs. state original jurisdiction lawsuits without a full hearing or opinion. In 2016, that’s exactly what the Court did with a lawsuit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma seeking to force neighboring Colorado to rescind its legislation legalizing marijuana under state law<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/03/21/supreme-court-dismisses-nebraska-oklahoma-lawsuit-against-pot-legalization-in-colorado/>. The justices disposed of the Nebraska-Oklahoma lawsuit in a one-sentence order<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2forders%2fcourtorders%2f032116zor_h3ci.pdf&c=E,1,VvYIEpal6LkksbDhtz90cDDLlQrjl_YdNv3F-6KeP5HF1-4juXFRH4HBMTwrHE0Edqv4G-NHDtnUVyah7j5XSIOs6BdT4kO5D4gqZlfP6AZdeCw,&typo=1>. Here it is in all its glory:

The motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied.

Nothing prevents the Supreme Court from doing the same thing with the Texas case (which some other red states might sign on to<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.newsweek.com%2falabama-louisiana-ags-want-join-texas-election-lawsuit-against-battleground-states-1553392&c=E,1,37xg7LDrhQX1aj2fq-Xm9OWnvZ_BsU6PHRJ_KvNujczGyDu2W-ieDW8uQ-aLwGWcSk5n2MHKGf8wgQJQ0LHXVWxvg2bZuxkpOF-lBrZrDE9WJw,,&typo=1>)….

In a dissent<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.supremecourt.gov%2forders%2fcourtorders%2f032116zor_h3ci.pdf&c=E,1,IHhF3cpvsoSta0gKCLnHHUM9tzJzR4N0nAaAKmY81tO1Y_SxpZANjG-Akle_fczU0PIRhMjvNja6bnV4aXrqZpmUN6sQhJqMiSqZ5EJInGO98wgX2A,,&typo=1> joined by Justice Alito, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the Court lacks the authority to dispense with original jurisdiction cases in such a cursory fashion. I think he makes some good points, particularly that—unlike with virtually all other cases—courses within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court cannot be heard by lower federal courts, so SCOTUS is the only possible venue for them. But Thomas recognized that the Court’s disposition of the marijuana legalization case was backed by longstanding precedent, under which the justices often dismiss bogus original jurisdiction cases without full consideration on the merit…

Since the Court issued this 6-2 ruling in 2016, three new justices have been appointed by Trump, including Neil Gorsuch who filled the seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia a few weeks before the Oklahoma-Nebraska case was decided. If all three of the new justices support Thomas’ position, the Court might not be able to dispose of the Texas case quite as easily. But even in that event, it could still deal with it in a short per curiam opinion, and does not necessarily have to go through extensive briefing and oral argument. There is no statute or constitutional rule<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.abajournal.com%2fnews%2farticle%2fwill-supreme-court-decide-some-cases-without-oral-arguments&c=E,1,WGyNB4LAzxWIewbnofJLjYi0EuVyCVidPRFavo9qo7QLLQEut2QM-T89dCiNBLNmKKXhyG3k0U7y5-FX2mcK3elyAMdSkXTtqERYGKf7TFZCKH81n5cx&typo=1> requiring the latter.

In addition, I doubt that there will be a majority in favor of reversing longstanding precedent in this field. In an age of grandstanding state AGs, the Court might be inundated with numerous bogus state vs. state lawsuits if all had to be given full consideration, and thereby got the attendant “free” publicity.

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Posted in Supreme Court<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fcat%3d29&c=E,1,P3Ts9_qDt3wEi59OFK6ihg37fTogE_6OM_Fk_UuQZTwuzi2C4lZ6SgxIMBXTYNUJCqeTt4NHB0R3EOhnnrgZkLRPiznuI_8klzt3WHmknJs0ygASB1DUQctYb-s,&typo=1>





“Trump’s Challenges to Election Results Face End of the Legal Road”<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119458&c=E,1,frJK7L1dWeKYlgl0qPpz78JZS6BL-YMU4NpUuFWqDpqMGYSAmrRlUsbVWEfVOte8778jmb3TpIFsi85eM6XFgLN7PsjmoCZhhHITLBXYMjvb2Ask&typo=1>

Posted on December 9, 2020 11:07 am<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fp%3d119458&c=E,1,vXD7G2Qtg6LSIwsK9u1m_WdVlWXcfZTBLRCQccknfep_wDiqZH_-SDs84_IYgIyCdDD5AQx9-gkswhfaR64NCPSNvSqMlo3j1HV3a_t7X4g_Dmm0pKfL1lAhQw,,&typo=1> by Rick Hasen<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f%3fauthor%3d3&c=E,1,7kXTsgtL-VoHi3bqgTrGrNvkNAVBJPBVJVABBpI_wihHgMk2t30JlWiaRKuheYM49aCFfbe9M1eH1eC0YM6aRwJ1bjLv1FoI6LuzIEaktg,,&typo=1>

Nicely done WSJ recap<https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-challenges-to-election-face-end-of-the-legal-road-11607518944?mod=politics_lead_pos6>.

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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

rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>

http://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.law.uci.edu%2ffaculty%2ffull-time%2fhasen%2f&c=E,1,VzgZDqIoRkdrdPqZKeRpPVKvVC_gnV1Thv7PnafkE4c3-qU04P3ev3JHdLFOU6SO004YuasM9lcP01HSzpJdpE2ENE07_dMqXuggj302&typo=1>

http://electionlawblog.org<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2felectionlawblog.org%2f&c=E,1,qT7XEyz1IPNBguez9leCru-DaCjqNVlPu4bgeij1zfUxo4xBC3vRVgWcOyuSRR9joXOguuUDXCA4NlK0X3e2H0DyIrJiQBPmIyYI7uRf8ziOiQ7FeAApy36TsQ,,&typo=1>




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