Election Law

With D.C. case dismissed, Trump is no longer under federal indictment

A judge dismissed the federal election-obstruction charges against President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, ending a historic investigation that never went to trial but led to enduring changes in the legal landscape over a president’s immunity from prosecution.

Nov 25, 2024 1:15 PM CST

Trump plans to fire Jack Smith’s team, use DOJ to probe 2020 election

President-elect Donald Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to pursue two federal prosecutions against the former president, including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution, according to two individuals close to Trump’s transition. Trump is also planning to assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election, one of the people said.

Nov 25, 2024 12:15 PM CST

Former Wisconsin justice accused of ethics violations over 2020 election probe

Legal regulators filed a 10-count ethics complaint Tuesday against a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who oversaw a problem-plagued review of the 2020 presidential election in this battleground state.

Nov 19, 2024 3:09 PM CST

Judge recuses from Arizona case over his email denouncing attacks on Harris

The judge overseeing Arizona’s case against allies of former president Donald Trump over their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results recused himself late Tuesday, after it emerged he had emailed colleagues urging them to speak out against conservative attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris’s gender and racial identity.

Nov 14, 2024 8:15 AM CST

RNC election lawyer, a ‘very genial guy,’ will be new White House counsel

The White House counsel in the new Trump administration is a former BigLaw lawyer who worked as the Republican National Committee’s outside counsel for election integrity in the 2024 presidential campaign.

Nov 13, 2024 11:24 AM CST

Federal judge suspends deadlines in Trump criminal case

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election-interference case in D.C. federal court suspended all remaining deadlines Friday—the latest sign that the federal prosecutions of the president-elect are winding down.

Nov 8, 2024 1:00 PM CST

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy

This is a day to appreciate the fact Americans voted in large numbers. As citizens and lawyers, we are thankful for all who exercised their right to vote. We are particularly thankful for the election workers for their efforts to ensure the election was fair and the results are safe, secure and accurate.

Nov 7, 2024 12:07 PM CST

Which law firms are expected to win influence in Trump administration?

Boutique and smaller law firms that have advised President-elect Donald Trump and his allies may be among the legal counsel who benefit when he takes office in January.

Nov 7, 2024 9:22 AM CST

As Trump wins White House, special counsel weighs how to end trials

As Donald Trump clinched his resounding presidential victory early Wednesday, the four criminal cases against him seemed to begin their march to dissolution. The election win prompted special counsel Jack Smith to start discussing how to wind down the two federal prosecutions of the president-elect.

Nov 6, 2024 2:50 PM CST

Former judge is accused of threatening to burn down polling site

A former New York judge who served time in prison was charged Tuesday with making a terroristic threat after he was only offered a provisional "affidavit ballot" at the polls.

Nov 6, 2024 11:23 AM CST

One of 2 prosecutors ousted by DeSantis wins election; how did other progressive prosecutors fare?

Voters have rejected several progressive prosecutors. Among high-profile races in Florida and California, the only liberal victor was Monique H. Worrell, who reclaimed her position as the Orange-Osceola state attorney in Florida after being ousted in 2023.

Nov 6, 2024 10:36 AM CST

Once-liberal lawyer said to be ‘brains’ behind 2020 election-interference scheme suspended from practice

A New York appeals court has ordered the interim suspension of lawyer Kenneth Chesebro following his guilty plea in Georgia’s 2020 election-interference case.

Nov 6, 2024 8:26 AM CST

Courtroom ‘is not a theater’ for unsubstantiated election claims, says letter signed by 125 bar leaders

All lawsuits—including election-related actions—must be “grounded in fact, supported by law and free from improper motives,” according to an open letter signed by 125 past and current bar leaders when it was published Monday evening.

Nov 5, 2024 12:42 PM CST

Judge denies Missouri’s effort to block federal election monitors

A federal judge late Monday rejected an effort by Missouri’s Republican leaders to ban Justice Department election monitors from entering polling sites in St. Louis County on Election Day. In a separate case, the DOJ reached an agreement that restricts monitors from coming any closer than 100 feet from voting locations in Texas, which had sued to block the monitors. The developments came as federal authorities sought to bolster efforts to monitor Tuesday’s elections amid growing fears of improper partisan influence and voter suppression.

Nov 5, 2024 12:26 PM CST

Top Georgia court blocks extended deadline for county voters who received late-mailed ballots

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday blocked Cobb County, Georgia, election officials from counting a block of absentee ballots if they are received after 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Nov 5, 2024 12:25 PM CST