Election Law

CEO at Center of Caperton Case Speaks Out

Don Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy Co., questions whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling this week that a judge he supported should have recused himself will ultimately stifle free speech. A divided court ruled 5-4 Monday in Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Company that elected judges should…

Jun 12, 2009 10:05 PM CDT

The Future in Black and White

In the era of President Barack Obama, race relations still play out

Jun 2, 2009 2:40 AM CDT

Sarah Palin’s $150K Shopping Spree was Legal, FEC Says

A $150,000 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus, Victoria’s Secret and other well-known department stores by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family was a legal use of political funds, the Federal Election Commission has held. In a 5-0 vote that was taken last month but announced today the FEC found…

May 19, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

O’Connor on Judicial Elections: ‘They’re Awful. I Hate Them’

Warnings that judicial elections increasingly threaten to undermine the independence of courts were bookends for Friday’s ABA summit on how to preserve fair and impartial state courts. “I’m still resolute that how we select our judges is crucial to a fair and impartial judiciary,” retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor…

May 9, 2009 1:09 PM CDT

75 Former Attys General Ask Holder to Launch Probe of Siegelman’s Prosecution

Emboldened by Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to drop its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, a group of 75 former state attorneys general from across the country is asking for an investigation into whether former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s corruption prosecution should stand. The effort is bipartisan, the…

Apr 23, 2009 5:01 PM CDT

Oprah Show on Obama Wasn’t a Campaign Contribution, FEC Rules

An Oprah Winfrey show on then-presidential candidate Barack Obama didn’t amount to an illegal campaign contribution, the Federal Election Commission has ruled. Ruling on an administrative complaint that the popular daytime television show gave Obama a boost that his opponents didn’t get, the FEC said a “media exemption” that excludes…

Apr 14, 2009 10:05 PM CDT

Burris Legal Bills Could Hit $400K; Embattled Senator Plans Defense Fund

An embattled U.S. senator from Illinois who is fighting efforts to force him from office, following allegations that he misrepresented his dealings with now-impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, expects that his legal bills could hit $400,000. So Sen. Roland Burris is seeking the Senate Ethics Committee’s okay to set up a…

Mar 20, 2009 1:22 AM CDT

Maryland Is Home Sweet Home for Congressmen Seeking Tax Break

A senior member of Congress who was elected in California has reportedly saved $3,853 in 2007 and 2008 taxes by claiming a home in Maryland as his principal residence. And he’s apparently not the only federal lawmaker from another state who has been doing so. Rep. Pete Stark, 77, the…

Mar 19, 2009 5:10 PM CDT

Lessig Ditches Cyberlaw to Focus on Campaign Finance

Cyberlaw expert Lawrence Lessig, sometimes called the “Paul Revere of the digital age,” is sounding the alarm about campaign finance. “We need not so much a declaration of independence as a declaration for independence,” he told a university audience. “These institutions of public trust need to be constructed in such…

Mar 6, 2009 3:45 PM CST

Al Franken Outspends Opponent on Legal Fees by 6-1

The legal battle over an election recount waged by former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken has cost him $660,000 in legal fees, six times the amount spent by his opponent for the U.S. Senate. Franken is represented by Perkins Coie and Fredrikson & Byron, the Am Law Daily reports.…

Feb 11, 2009 2:02 PM CST

Free to Be

Recent decisions show growing acceptance of transgender rights

Feb 2, 2009 2:40 AM CST

Big-Firm Lawyers Donate Big Bucks to Obama Inauguration

Law firms and lawyers have donated $2.5 million to inaugural festivities for Barack Obama, the second-biggest source of donations behind the securities and investment industry. The National Law Journal reports on the total and lists donors who made $50,000 contributions. They include big-firm lawyers and lawyers who file suits on…

Jan 20, 2009 1:26 PM CST

Bush v. Gore Didn’t Self-Destruct and is No Longer ‘Radioactive’

The U.S. Supreme Court intended to limit the precedential value of its decision in Bush v. Gore, but courts are citing it anyway. The New York Times story on the development starts out this way: “The Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore, issued eight years ago this month, was…

Dec 23, 2008 2:56 PM CST

Lawyer Who Fled Saigon at Age 8 Defeats Indicted US Rep

An immigration lawyer who fled Saigon at the age of 8 has defeated Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Harvard-educated lawyer who is under indictment on public corruption charges. The election winner is Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao, who will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress, the New Orleans Times-Picayune…

Dec 8, 2008 6:48 PM CST

Justices Mull Whether to Consider Obama Citizenship Case

Updated: U.S. Supreme Court justices are scheduled to hold a private conference today to consider high court petitions. One that is bringing loads of attention from the media is a case challenging President-elect Barack Obama’s citizenship and eligibility for office. The court did not announce a decision today about whether…

Dec 5, 2008 1:53 PM CST