Election Law

4th Circuit strikes down effort to purge suspected noncitizen voters

A federal appeals court on Sunday upheld the ruling of a Virginia judge who struck down an effort from state officials to automatically cancel voter registrations of suspected noncitizens, pointing to a federal law that prohibits states from purging voters 90 days before a presidential election.

Oct 28, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

5th Circuit rules ballots that arrive late shouldn’t be counted despite postmarks

A federal appeals court Friday ruled invalid a Mississippi law that allows election officials to count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by then.

Oct 28, 2024 12:45 PM CDT

Meet the sheriffs who believe they are ‘The Highest Law in the Land’

In The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy, lawyer and journalist Jessica Pishko takes a deep dive into the history of this position in American life and at a far-right movement hoping to co-opt it.

Oct 24, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

Appendix of source materials unsealed in Trump Jan. 6 prosecution

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on Friday unsealed a heavily redacted—and unrevelatory—version of the appendix of source materials underpinning special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump for election interference.

Oct 18, 2024 11:25 AM CDT

Judge approves releasing source documents that detail more Trump-Jan. 6 evidence

A federal judge on Thursday approved the public release of redacted source documents that helped inform special counsel Jack Smith’s explosive 165-page legal brief arguing that Donald Trump can still face prosecution for trying to subvert the results of the 2020 election, but gave the former president seven days to take steps to block the disclosure.

Oct 11, 2024 9:31 AM CDT

5 takeaways from the big new filing on Trump’s 2020 election plot

We now have the most extensive new detail in years about former President Donald Trump’s plot to overturn the 2020 election, in the form of a much-anticipated filing from special counsel Jack Smith. It features some significant revelations and quotes that could be important not just for the legal battle, but for the 2024 election.

Oct 3, 2024 1:15 PM CDT

Judge resigns amid Jan. 6 rally probe; ‘I would do it over again’

A New York village and town court judge has agreed to resign amid an investigation into his attendance at a Jan. 6, 2021, rally in Washington, D.C.

Sep 30, 2024 11:49 AM CDT

Rudy Giuliani disbarred in DC for his role in election 2020 subversion

The D.C. Court of Appeals on Thursday revoked Rudy Giuliani’s ability to practice law in the District after an attorney discipline board found the former New York mayor and personal attorney for Donald Trump violated the terms of his license while challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Sep 26, 2024 12:21 PM CDT

SCOTUS will not order Nevada to include Jill Stein on ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to order Nevada officials to include Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein on the November ballot. The justices without explanation left in force a Nevada Supreme Court decision that said the party failed to comply with a key requirement in gathering the signatures needed to put Stein on the ballot.

Sep 20, 2024 10:08 AM CDT

Americans’ trust in government and elections differs by party affiliation, new report finds

With the November 2024 presidential election less than two months away, a new report by the World Justice Project is ringing alarm bells about American skepticism in the election process, political polarization and an overall lack of faith in government accountability.

Sep 17, 2024 12:01 AM CDT

Chief Justice Roberts steered rulings benefiting Trump, report says, citing internal information

A confidential memo and disclosures about internal deliberations show how Chief Justice John Roberts took an active role in three U.S. Supreme Court decisions that benefited former President Donald Trump, according to a story by the New York Times.

Sep 16, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

Paul Weiss partner, ‘a skilled handler of high-ego politicians,’ is helping Harris with debate prep

A partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison helped Vice President Kamala Harris prepare for Tuesday's presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, even as she prepared as lead attorney for Google in an antitrust trial based on alleged online advertising dominance.

Sep 10, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

State rep displays middle finger during online court hearing, leading to show-cause orders

A Florida state representative who appeared to be displaying his middle finger and making other gestures during an online court appearance is facing an Oct. 1 contempt hearing.

Sep 5, 2024 3:20 PM CDT

With Trump indictment, appeal, Jack Smith launches final pre-election moves

Special counsel Jack Smith is trying to nurse back to health cases with potentially fatal ailments: in Florida, a set of charges dismissed by a highly skeptical Trump appointee; in D.C., a case of alleged election obstruction that the nation’s highest court has already amputated once, and may do so again.

Aug 30, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Last-minute election lawsuits may serve political goals, law prof says

Last-minute lawsuits challenging election rules and voter-registration procedures are being filed in battleground states in the run-up to the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Aug 30, 2024 9:50 AM CDT