Democracy Docket: “In June, Senate Republicans blocked a landmark piece of voting rights legislation, the For the People Act. In October, they blocked a revised, compromised version, the Freedom to Vote Act. In November, it was the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that failed. If Democrats hold a slim majority in the U.S. Senate,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
The Constitution’s Disqualification Clause Can Be Enforced Today
POGO: “The attack on the United States Capitol complex to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021, led to the first application of the disqualification clause contained in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in more than a century. Section 3 prohibits public office holders who have taken an oath… Continue Reading
How Oil & Gas Funding Distorts Energy Research
Gizmodo: “Prominent energy centers at MIT, Stanford, and Columbia may be biased toward natural gas because of funding, a new study says Journalists like me often seek out academics for comment and insight on stories related to the energy transition, since these professors have often done in-depth research into various fuel sources and their impacts.… Continue Reading
Digital Security and Reproductive Rights: Lessons for Feminist Cyberlaw
Meister, Michela and Levy, Karen, Digital Security and Reproductive Rights: Lessons for Feminist Cyberlaw (October 31, 2022). Feminist Cyberlaw (Meg Leta Jones and Amanda Levendowski, eds.), University of California Press, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4262774 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4262774 – “Reproductive rights in the United States are under threat, and the threat is growing more serious by… Continue Reading
Let’s Vote – Same Day Voter Registration
NCSL: “As of 2022, 22 states and Washington, D.C., have implemented same-day registration (SDR), which allows any qualified resident of the state to register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time. Of those states, 20 and Washington, D.C., offer Election Day registration, which means voters can both register and vote on Election… Continue Reading
Fed Up With Political Text Messages?
The New York Times – “In this polarized climate, hundreds of Americans told us they agree on one thing: Campaigns must stop spamming voters’ phones with unwanted political texts…The campaign messages not only capture some voters’ deep frustrations with unwanted political texts. They also document how political texting is becoming a go-to method for spreading… Continue Reading
How to Inoculate against Midterm Misinformation Campaigns
Scientific American: “A New York University professor advocates “prebunking”—sounding the alarm before a conspiracy theory spreads too widely.“We the People,” as we self-identify in the preamble to the Constitution, are more polarized than ever in these ostensibly United States. When it is misinformation that fosters this polarization, all eyes immediately turn to social media. Research… Continue Reading
Online Consumer Data Collection
CRS Report – Online Consumer Data Collection, October 31, 2022 – “Large amounts of consumer data can be collected, processed, and analyzedby operators of websites and mobile applications (apps) and third parties, which are entities otherthan the website or appprimary operator (e.g., data brokers). Operators collect data for multiple purposes, including providing services, selling user… Continue Reading
Trump lawyers saw Clarence Thomas as key to stop Biden electoral count
Washington Post: “Lawyers for President Donald Trump saw Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as key to overturning the results of the 2020 election, according to a set of emails provided to congressional investigators. Eight emails, ordered released by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter of California, include correspondence between Trump lawyers Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman… Continue Reading
Fortune 500 Companies Have Given Millions to Election Deniers Since Jan.
Pro Publica – “In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, more than 100 major companies pledged to suspend political giving to the members of Congress who voted to invalidate Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Since then, many have resumed funding this group of lawmakers, often with little to no explanation.… Continue Reading
First-of-its-kind database tracks threats against public officials
Princeton Univeristy: “Threats to and harassment of local officials present a significant challenge to American democracy by discouraging civic engagement, undermining the work of public servants, and creating unprecedented stress on the cornerstones of democratic society including elections, education, and public safety processes. A heightened environment of fear among local officials seems ubiquitous, but the… Continue Reading
How to track your ballot online
Washington Post: “Want to make sure your vote counts in these high-stakes midterm elections? Track your ballot online like a UPS delivery. The technology to do that is now available to more than a quarter of all Americans, in part because of investments made for mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic….For once, there’s a new… Continue Reading
