Chief Justice asked to Make Alito and Thomas recuse in mega donor cases

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/sep/29/us-supreme-court-john-roberts-ethics-scandal-recuse-thomas-alito-donor-cases 

Charlie Cooper 

Ohio Commission issues 6th unfair state legislative map

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/09/27/ohio-redistricting-commission-adopts-sixth-version-of-statehouse-maps-with-bipartisan-support/

A Commission with 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats issued a state legislative map that slightly reduces the Republican supermajority but that is still overwhelmingly gerrymandered for partisan advantage to the Republicans. Citizens are planning a ballot measure campaign to amend Ohio's Constitution to create a commission that takes the maps out of the hands of politicians.

Charlie Cooper

Despite two rulings by the Supreme Court, Alabama refuses to draw fair map

https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/60-years-later-alabama-lawmakers-defy-the-u-s-supreme-court-again/

Alabama's Governor and legislature have defied two orders of the U.S. Supreme Court and a federal lower court order. They are refusing to draw a Congressional district map with two "black opportunity" districts. Federal courts have rejected Alabama's latest maps, and it is unclear how a fair map can be put into place before the 2024 election.

Charlie Cooper

Federal District Court delays hearing on Louisiana's Congressional map

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/28/1201969253/louisiana-congressional-districts

Louisiana's Republican legislature has drawn a Congressional map that seems to violate the Voting Rights Act in the same way as does Alabama's map -- which has twice been rejected by the Supreme Court as a racial gerrymander that is unfair to African Americans. Nevertheless two conservative judges on a federal circuit court panel agreed to postpone a hearing that is a necessary step to forcing Louisiana legislators to allow a fair map to be put into place. The case can now be reviewed by the full circuit court or the Supreme Court.

Charlie Cooper

Poll shows super-majority support for ending Electoral College

https://www.lex18.com/growing-number-of-americans-want-to-end-electoral-college

Charlie Cooper

Why voting by Internet is not secure

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/07/1192723913/internet-voting-explainer

An Internet entrepreneur convened a group of experts at University of California at Berkeley to come up with a secure system for voting by Internet. They concluded that it is not possible at this time. Hundred of thousands of U.S. voters, however -- mostly disabled people or overseas military personnel -- do vote via the Internet.

Charlie Cooper

Conservative author argues that expanding SCOTUS more effective than term limits

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/25/supreme-court-term-limits-life-tenure/

Charlie Cooper

Clarence Thomas attended Koch brothers fundraising event

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-secretly-attended-koch-brothers-donor-events-scotus 

This group was involved in in bringing numerous suits and funny amicus briefs suits and funding amicus briefs to influence the Supreme Court.

Charlie Cooper

Jamie Raskin wants several Constitutional Amendments

https://thefulcrum.us/constitution-day-conversation-with-jamie-raskin 

He loves it, and it must be amended or it will be lost. 

Charlie Cooper

Virginia Thomas and Leonard Leo collaborated to found Leo's dark money network and influence the Court

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/10/ginni-thomas-leonard-leo-citizens-united-00108082

In late 2009, just a few weeks after oral arguments in Citizens United v. FEC, Ginni Thomas and Leonard Leo founded what became a vast network of technically nonprofit conservative advocacy organizations with financial backing from Thomas's "dear friend," Texas billionaire Harlan Crow.

The story raises questions of whether Justice Clarence Thomas is corruptly profiting from his wife's efforts to influence the Court as well as the propriety of his deciding cases that her funders and associates are trying to impact. Both Leo and Thomas subsequently founded their own for-profit companies. The network of nonprofits has since funneled tens of millions of dollars to Leo's company, and Ginni Thomas has received an unknown amount exceeding $100,000. Democrats in Congress are now seeking to investigate these relationships. Thomas's and Leo's initial nonprofit, Liberty Central, was chartered just a few days before the Citizens United decision was published, and Crow contributed the first $500,000. Thomas soon switched her focus to her for-profit company. Although Justice Thomas now reports that his wife receives income through the for-profit company, the amounts and sources are not disclosed.

Leo's well-heeled groups have compiled extensive research and have flooded the Court with amicus briefs on behalf of conservative causes and in opposition to legislation passed with majority Democratic support.

The sources of funds for these activities are mostly unknown because of laws shielding donors and also because the IRS staff responsible for assuring that "nonprofit" groups are adhering to the law had been decimated by Congressional policies and budget cuts. The campaign to neuter the IRS was led by Cleta Mitchell, an associate of Leo and Virginia Thomas.

Some of Leo's groups – rebranded as "Honest Elections Project" – also led campaigns to pass "election security" laws in the states that Democrats think are well-calculated to suppress votes for their candidates. These efforts anticipated and reinforced the Trumpist claims that Biden stole the 2020 presidential election.

Between 2013 and 2021 Leo's Judicial Education Project gave $7 million to the Center for the Rule of Law, a group whose nonprofit status was revoked in 2011.

When asked why his groups hide their funding sources, Leo replied "'It's not to hide in the shadows,' he said. 'It's because we want ideas judged by their own moral and intellectual force.'"

Charlie Cooper

Clarence Thomas is still misclassifying money he received on his disclosure forms

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/09/clarence-thomas-ruth-bader-ginsburg-travel-violations.html?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=0&cx_experienceId=EX6NH8ULG1D7#cxrecs_s

The fact that some former justices who were Democrats made similar errors does nothing to mitigate the problems for Thomas.

Charlie Cooper

Reprise of recent Politico blockbuster news on Virginia Thomas and Leonard leo

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/09/ginni-thomas-ethics-supreme-court-hats.html?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=1&cx_experienceId=EX6NH8ULG1D7#cxrecs_s

This one tries to put the new information in context.

Charlie Cooper

A new tool to purge voter rolls

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-antidemocracy-tool

The Brennan Center says that Republican-led states that have dropped out of ERIC have developed a new tool to purge voter rolls. Trump ally Cleta Mitchell was involved in developing the tool. Critics charge that inaccurate public databases will be used by Republican partisans to raise challenges to voters and that invalid removals will occur.

Charlie Cooper

Federal lawsuit filed to bar Trump from appearing on Colorado presidential ballot

https://apnews.com/article/trump-insurrection-constitution-2024-election-primary-ballot-19ca3f17881e8818302cb1260e7c2aed

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed suit in Colorado charging that Donald Trump is

ineligible to appear on a presidential ballot because he has engaged in insurrection against the United States.

" The lawsuit, citing the 14th Amendment, is likely the initial step in a legal challenge that seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. The complaint was filed on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington."

Charlie Cooper

Elections workers are receiving death threats from MAGA devotees

https://apnews.com/article/election-workers-threats-justice-department-trump-f17df44d63156a28eaa0862b0aa08f0b

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting threats to elections officials and workers, and a few people have been sentenced to prison terms.

Charlie Cooper