Election Law

RNC has paid $427K in legal fees for Trump and Trump Jr.

The Republican National Committee has paid more than $427,000 to lawyers for President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Spokeswoman Cassie Smedile said the fees are being paid from a pre-existing legal account “and do not reduce by a dime the resources we can put towards our political work,” the…

Sep 20, 2017 11:16 AM CDT

Trump reportedly is paying legal bills in special counsel probe with campaign and RNC funds

President Donald Trump is reportedly paying his legal bills in the special counsel probe of Russian influence with donations to his re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee.

Sep 19, 2017 4:27 PM CDT

In a 5-4 split, Supreme Court stays orders in Texas gerrymandering case requiring redrawn districts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday evening stayed federal court decisions requiring the redrawing of some congressional and state electoral districts in Texas because of racial gerrymandering.

Sep 13, 2017 8:05 AM CDT

Some Facebook ads bought by Russian company may have violated US election law

Facebook revealed last week that it had discovered an operation likely based in Russia had spent $100,000 on political ads. The disclosure raises questions about whether the ad buys were illegal.

Sep 11, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

5th Circuit allows Texas to use procedures in revised voter ID law for 2017 elections

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing Texas to use voter ID procedures for 2017 elections that were adopted in a revised voter ID law. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court stayed an injunction that had blocked the procedures adopted in the law known as…

Sep 6, 2017 10:12 AM CDT

Lobbyist who attended Trump Jr.‘s meeting with Russian lawyer reportedly testifies before grand jury

A Russian lobbyist who attended a June 2016 meeting in which Donald Trump Jr. expected to receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton has reportedly testified before a grand jury used by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Aug 31, 2017 12:23 PM CDT

Justice Alito stays Texas redistricting order

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Monday stayed a decision by a three-judge panel that required the redrawing of two congressional districts in Texas because they were racially gerrymandered. Alito’s order granted the stay in an appeal by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, report the Austin American-Statesman, SCOTUSblog, Courthouse News…

Aug 29, 2017 10:07 AM CDT

Federal judge blocks revised voter ID law in Texas, cites perjury prosecution threat

A federal judge in Texas has blocked a revised voter ID law in Texas after finding its provisions “fall far short of mitigating” parts of the original law that discriminated against African-Americans and Hispanics.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi issued a permanent injunction blocking the old and revised laws on Wednesday, report the New York Times, NPR, Politico, the Associated Press and the Texas Tribune. Ramos said the law violates the Voting Rights Act and the 14th and 15th Amendments of the Constitution.

Aug 24, 2017 8:48 AM CDT

Federal court finds two Texas congressional districts are racially gerrymandered, must be redrawn

Updated:Two congressional districts in Texas are racially gerrymandered and must be redrawn, a federal district court ruled this week.

Aug 18, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Rosenstein denies any ‘fishing expeditions’ in Mueller probe

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a Sunday interview that special counsel Robert Mueller can investigate any crimes discovered in the scope of his probe, but “we don’t engage in fishing expeditions.” In a Fox News Sunday interview, Rosenstein said the special counsel is bound by the rules and…

Aug 7, 2017 9:04 AM CDT

Marc Kasowitz reportedly takes on reduced role amidst Trump defense team shakeup

The team of lawyers defending Donald Trump in the ongoing Russia investigation has undergone a major shakeup, according to multiple reports.

Jul 21, 2017 5:07 PM CDT

Meet Donald Trump Jr.‘s new lawyer, Alan Futerfas

A New York lawyer who made a name for himself in the 1990s representing a defendant accused of involvement in a mob power struggle has been hired to represent Donald Trump Jr. in probes of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election. The lawyer, Alan Futerfas, is relatively unknown in…

Jul 11, 2017 11:06 AM CDT

Did Donald Trump Jr.‘s meeting with Russian lawyer violate election law?

A New York Times report about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer to receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton is raising questions about whether such a meeting would violate election law.

Jul 11, 2017 9:13 AM CDT

ACLU suit says election commission is designed to bolster false claim about Trump’s election win

The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday filed a lawsuit that claims President Donald Trump violated federal law by appointing an election commission “stacked with individuals” who endorse his unsubstantiated statements about the election. The stated purpose of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is to study the federal…

Jul 10, 2017 12:46 PM CDT

Justice at Stake, a group dedicated to impartial courts, closes amid funding woes

Justice at Stake is closing its doors after 16 years of advocating for fair and impartial courts. The group announced its shutdown in a press release. The group had depended on money from progressive foundations and individual donors, and donations were lagging, according to former executive director Susan Liss. “It…

Jun 27, 2017 11:50 AM CDT