Election Law

Supreme Court to decide whether partisan gerrymandering is constitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether gerrymandering intended to give an advantage to a political party is unconstitutional.

Jun 19, 2017 8:47 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Racial gerrymandering can no longer be justified as proxy for party affiliation

Virtually every year, the U.S. Supreme Court has an important case concerning the use of race in drawing election districts. This reflects the confusing nature of the law in this area. This term is no exception, but its most recent ruling in Cooper v. Harris significantly changes and clarifies the law.

Jun 1, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Supreme Court to review Ohio law purging voters who don’t cast ballots for six years

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide the fate of an Ohio law that removes voters from registration rolls if they don’t vote for six years and don’t respond to a notice sent by the state. The groups challenging the law claim it violates federal voting-rights law, report…

May 31, 2017 1:24 PM CDT

Supreme Court summarily upholds caps on contributions to political parties; Gorsuch would hear case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday summarily affirmed a decision upholding limits on direct contributions to political parties. Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas indicated (PDF) they would have set the case for oral argument, rather than decide it summarily. The Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Courthouse News Service and…

May 22, 2017 1:17 PM CDT

Supreme Court strikes down redrawn North Carolina districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down two majority-black congressional districts created after the 2010 census in North Carolina.

In a decision (PDF) on Monday by Justice Elena Kagan, the court said officials did not have a compelling reason to pack more black voters into the two districts that were already electing preferred candidates of most black voters.

May 22, 2017 9:33 AM CDT

Supreme Court lets stand opinion striking down North Carolina’s voter ID law as discriminatory

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a federal appeals court ruling striking down North Carolina’s voter ID law as motivated by racially discriminatory intent.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a statement (PDF) accompanying the cert denial, report the New York Times and the Washington Post.

May 15, 2017 9:19 AM CDT

ACLU files information request after Trump signs executive order for election integrity commission

It didn’t take long for the American Civil Liberties Union to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order on Thursday setting up a commission to investigate voter fraud and vulnerabilities in election systems. The ACLU has filed a freedom of information request for information that the Trump administration is using…

May 11, 2017 4:17 PM CDT

Democrats want a special counsel after Comey firing; who decides and who has firing authority?

Many Democrats are calling for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russian interference in U.S. elections after President Donald Trump’s decision Tuesday to fire FBI Director James Comey.

May 10, 2017 10:28 AM CDT

Citizens United protesters at Supreme Court plead guilty after losing challenge to ‘harangue’ law

Five protesters who were arrested for disrupting U.S. Supreme Court proceedings pleaded guilty Thursday to two misdemeanor charges. The defendants, who had been protesting the Citizens United decision before their April 2015 arrest, pleaded guilty to laws banning demonstrations and disruptions at the Supreme Court, BuzzFeed News reports. They could…

May 5, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Nelson Mullins partner settles SEC suit claiming he helped pay-to-play scheme

Updated: A partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has agreed to pay $95,000 to settle a suit by the Securities and Exchange Commission that claimed he acted as a conduit for improper campaign donations. The lawyer, Robert Crowe, settled the case without admitting any wrongdoing, the Am Law Daily…

May 4, 2017 3:48 PM CDT

Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects petition to create recusal standards over campaign donations

The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s conservative majority has rejected a petition from a group of retired judges seeking rules requiring judges and justices to recuse themselves from cases involving significant donors to their campaigns, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The justices voted 5-2 along party lines against the recommendation to develop…

Apr 20, 2017 2:15 PM CDT

Alabama governor’s resignation and guilty plea followed state supreme court order

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley resigned and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors on Monday after the state supreme court allowed impeachment proceedings against him. Bentley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors that stemmed from an alleged affair with a former aide, report the Washington Post, the New York Times and AL.com. The…

Apr 11, 2017 9:35 AM CDT

DC lawyer sues Trump over financial disclosure form

A Washington, D.C. lawyer has sued President Donald Trump for not specifically identifying his personal debts on his candidate’s financial disclosure form. Politico reported Sunday that Jeffrey Lovitky, a government contracts and health law solo practitioner, has filed a complaint (PDF) with the U.S. District Court for the District of…

Mar 21, 2017 1:48 PM CDT

FBI director confirms probe of Trump campaign and Russia

FBI director James Comey confirmed that the bureau is investigating whether there was coordination between Russian officials and President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 presidential campaign. The House Intelligence Committee opened hearings on Monday to determine the extent of Russian interference and whether campaign officials from either side helped.…

Mar 20, 2017 3:02 PM CDT

Racial gerrymandering case will mostly return to the district court for new analysis

A constitutional challenge to Virginia’s redrawing of 12 legislative districts to maintain a black voting-age population of at least 55 percent will mostly return to a federal district court as a result of a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Mar 1, 2017 9:43 AM CST