Election Law

Election Roundup: 3 Top Iowa Judges Defeated for Retention After Gay Marriage OK

In a first-time-ever rejection of sitting Iowa Supreme Court judges for retention, state voters have nixed three justices at the polls following their approval last year of same-sex marriage. With more than 90 percent of the state’s precincts reporting results from yesterday’s election, the three had gotten only about 45…

Nov 3, 2010 12:00 PM CDT

4 Chicago Election Judges Arrested; Prosecutor Sorry for Profane Voice Mail in Sib’s Campaign

Updated: Four Chicago election judges were arrested today, including two who were allegedly drunk, one who was accused of yanking a provisional ballot out of a voter’s hands and another claimed to have groped a female election judge, reports Fox News. A Chicago Sun-Times article provides more details about the…

Nov 3, 2010 12:31 AM CDT

Production Company Promised ‘Morgan Freeman’ Ad, But Used Voice Double

A Republican congressional candidate who asserted that Morgan Freeman had narrated his attack ad against the incumbent says a contract gave him the wrong impression. The candidate, B.J. Lawson of North Carolina, had issued a press release on Monday stating that the commercial was indeed narrated by Morgan Freeman, the…

Nov 2, 2010 1:21 PM CDT

Election Roundup: Expected Close Contest May Keep Lawyers Busy

As Republicans appear to be positioned to make significant gains in today’s election, which is expected to draw a large turnout, some Tea Party voters may have a decision to make: If they wear gear such as party T-shirts or the group’s “Please ID Me” buttons to the polling place,…

Nov 2, 2010 12:45 PM CDT

Election Roundup: Judge Who Is Sib of Gubernatorial Candidate Allegedly Involved in Sign Dispute

As election day nears, political campaign sign wars are at white heat. Among those at whom the finger is pointing is a New Hampshire judge and brother of a Republican candidate for state governor who has been accused of threatening a Democratic campaign volunteer for putting up signs, according to…

Nov 1, 2010 4:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court Turns Down Election Disclosure Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused an appeal seeking to overturn federal disclosure requirements for groups that spend money independently of political candidates. The case is “a sequel to last January’s Citizens United decision” that found corporations have a First Amendment right to expressly support political candidates, SCOTUSblog reports. The…

Nov 1, 2010 3:53 PM CDT

Take Down Election-Eve Legal Ethics Censure and Replace It with My Order, Fed’l Judge Tells Agency

A judicial candidate censured this week by a legal ethics agency in Nevada over her criticism of her opponent has won an emergency restraining order from chief federal judge of the local U.S. District Court. It not only requires that the censure be taken down from a public website maintained…

Oct 29, 2010 6:46 PM CDT

Election Round-Up: Fed’l Judge Smacks Down Conn.‘s Potentional Ban of WWE Garb at Polls

For Connecticut voters who want to wear a Stone Cold Steve Austin costume to the polls on Tuesday, in a nod to Halloween and the retired professional wrestling star, the Christian Science Monitor has good news: They will apparently be allowed to do so, under a federal judge’s ruling that…

Oct 28, 2010 9:00 AM CDT

A Cautionary Tale of Corporate Political Spending Emerges in Minnesota

Long regarded as a leader in campaign finance reform, Minnesota until this year had some of the nation’s toughest laws on political spending by corporations. With the federal government and many other states, Minnesota for decades tried to tame corporate political participation through various restrictions on expenditures. Minnesota legislators considered…

Oct 22, 2010 8:48 PM CDT

Study: Felon Voting Rights Expanded in 23 states Since 1997

According to a new study by the Washington, D.C.-based Sentencing Project, 23 states have given increased voting rights to convicted felons in the past 13 years and added 800,000 former felons to voter rolls. Nine states have either repealed or amended mandates that convicted felons be permanently disenfranchised; eight have…

Oct 19, 2010 10:09 PM CDT

Supreme Court Turns Down Prisoner Voting Rights Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by inmates who claim a ban on voting violates the Voting Rights Act. The decision lets stand a ruling by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a voting ban in Massachusetts, according to Bloomberg, the Associated…

Oct 18, 2010 3:07 PM CDT

Ex-Fla. Gov. Accuses Dem Hopeful of Trademark Infringement

Lawyers for former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have accused Democratic state senate hopeful Deborah Gianoulis of trademark infringement. At issue is the Democratic candidate’s use of a red Deb! logo with white lettering, which lawyers for Bush contend is too similar to the ex-governor’s trademarked Jeb! logo. Bush’s lawyers…

Oct 15, 2010 8:39 PM CDT

Repeal the 17th Amendment? Some Candidates Back the Idea

What is the 17th Amendment, and why are some candidates backing its repeal? “Quick, what’s the 17th Amendment?” Cato Institute vice president Gene Healy wrote in a column earlier this year for the Washington Examiner. “Good on you if you didn’t need a lifeline: It’s the one that mandated direct…

Oct 13, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

In Op-Ed, Law Prof Lawrence Lessig Backs ‘Grubstake’ Campaign Finance Bill

Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig says a bill that promotes publicly funded election campaigns could help restore public trust in government. In a Washington Post column, Lessig writes that laws limiting campaign contributions haven’t worked as intended, leading to cynicism and the belief that “money buys results in Congress.” He’s…

Oct 1, 2010 2:27 PM CDT

Judge Orders DNA Tests for City Officials in Ballot Fraud Case Over Alternative Party Primary

A state-court judge has ordered officials in Troy, N.Y., to take DNA tests to help prosecutors determine who may or may not be responsible for alleged absentee ballot fraud in an alternative party primary election a year ago. Court records concerning a search-warrant request claim that individuals affiliated with the…

Sep 14, 2010 5:02 PM CDT