Election Law

Democrats Have Lucrative Links to Milberg

Four Democratic presidential candidates have accepted campaign contributions from lawyers connected to Milberg Weiss since the securities class action firm was indicted on charges of paying kickbacks to lead plaintiffs. John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joseph Biden are among 26 Democrats who have accepted $150,000 in Milberg-related contributions,…

Oct 18, 2007 11:02 AM CDT

Justices Debate Voter Confusion Over WA Primary Law

Both sides left the U.S. Supreme Court in an optimistic mood after oral arguments yesterday in a challenge to a Washington state law that curbs the influence of political parties. The law allows candidates in a primary to designate their own political party preference, Legal Times reports. The top two…

Oct 2, 2007 10:35 AM CDT

Cert Accepted in Voter ID Case

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether voter ID laws are constitutional. The court will consider an Indiana law that requires voters to show photo identification before they can cast a ballot, the Associated Press reports. The en banc 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld…

Sep 25, 2007 6:05 PM CDT

‘Troubling Partisan Divide’ in Voter ID Judicial Split

Voter ID laws are dividing lawmakers and the judiciary, who tend to split along partisan lines when considering the measures. As many as 22 million Americans of voting age don’t have photo identification, which means they can’t vote if they live in a state that requires such ID before a…

Sep 24, 2007 2:50 PM CDT

Book: Souter Distraught Over Bush v. Gore

U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter was distraught over what he viewed as a partisan decision by a majority of his colleagues in Bush v. Gore and considered stepping down from his seat on the bench of the nation’s highest court over the ruling. That is what an upcoming book…

Sep 6, 2007 8:50 PM CDT

Pakistan Court Acts in Election Case

The Pakistan Supreme Court has issued an order requiring registration of all eligible voters. The court gave the election commission 30 days to complete the task, Reuters reports. A complaint filed by exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had claimed millions of people had been excluded form a draft list…

Aug 10, 2007 1:48 PM CDT

7 Charged in WA Voter Reg Fraud Case

Seven people were charged today in what officials say is the biggest voter-registration fraud case ever brought in Washington state. The seven allegedly are responsible for submitting nearly 2,000 fictitious registrations, but the case reportedly involves lazy employees seeking to reduce their workload rather than an attempt to influence election…

Jul 26, 2007 10:18 PM CDT

Voter ID Law Upheld in Michigan

The Michigan Supreme Court today upheld a state law requiring voters to present photo identification. The court split along partisan lines, the Detroit Free Press reports. The five justices in the majority were nominated by Republicans, and the two dissenters were nominated by Democrats. The law permitted voters who did…

Jul 18, 2007 8:36 PM CDT

Ruling Expected to Racially Polarize MS Politics

A federal court ruling that bars crossover voting in Mississippi Democratic primaries is reportedly likely to push moderate whites to register with the Republican party. U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper Jr. ruled last month that the Democratic party may disassociate itself from voters who are not party members, the New…

Jul 18, 2007 2:40 PM CDT

Lawyers Advise, Clients Strategize on New ‘Issue’ Political Advertising

Lawyers who advise advocacy groups are busy this week, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday opening the door to more “issue”-oriented political advertising. The question: How far can these groups go in pre-election advertising that discusses issues but at least arguably also promotes political candidates? The Federal Election Commission,…

Jun 28, 2007 6:18 PM CDT

Rival Outfoxed by PA DA’s Ballot Move

An incumbent Pennsylvania prosecutor who is professionally known by her maiden name, Fox, pulled a fast one on him at election time, contends her rival, whose middle name is also Fox. Voters may have been confused because Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox used that name on the ballot in…

Jun 5, 2007 8:57 PM CDT

Former Mo. U.S. Attorney Latest Name in News

A new name is emerging in the ongoing controversy over the suspected influence of Republican party politics in the appointment of federal prosecutors: Bradley Schlozman. A 1996 graduate of George Washington University Law School, he has moved quickly into the upper ranks of the Justice Department administration – and, more…

May 7, 2007 10:51 PM CDT

Andy Griffith Wins Right to Run for Sheriff

Although he lost resoundingly the last time around, Andy Griffith can continue to run for sheriff in Grant County, Wis., a federal judge has ruled. The federal court in Madison, Wis., was brought into the electoral fray by a lawsuit filed by the “real” Andy Griffith, a television actor now…

May 7, 2007 6:04 PM CDT

Groups Use Tax Code to Sidestep Election Law

Seeking to avoid donor disclosure requirements under federal election law, a number of nonprofit political groups are looking to federal tax law. By setting up as a slightly different kind of nonprofit organization, they can avoid disclosing the names of donors, except to the Internal Revenue Service. As the Washington…

Apr 17, 2007 5:41 PM CDT

Getting Out the ‘No’ Vote

South Dakota Bar Director Seeks Defeat of Initiative Permitting Suits Against Judges

Nov 24, 2006 12:55 PM CST