The legal architecture around politics: redistricting challenges, ballot access disputes, campaign finance doctrine, certification litigation and constitutional restraints on executive action. Each piece explains a ruling's reasoning and its reach. For attorneys, election administrators and reporters covering courts and campaigns together.
Coverage of the courts in politics: redistricting suits, ballot access cases, campaign finance rulings and constitutional limits on executive power.
The 2022 rewrite of the Electoral Count Act set a one-fifth objection threshold, named the state executive as the single certifying official, and made the presiding officer's role ministerial. Here is the mechanism, section by section.
Nathan Brooks
Article II lets the president pardon federal offenses without review — but not state crimes, not impeachment, and not before a process at the Office of the Pardon Attorney has run its quiet course.
Nathan Brooks
Two dozen states, one forum, one complaint — the multistate suit has become the principal vehicle for states against the federal government, and for policy fights neither Congress nor agencies can finish.
Nathan Brooks
Numerosity, commonality, typicality and adequacy open the door — then predominance and superiority decide whether thousands of claims become one trial.
Asha Venkataswamy
The doctrine shields officials from damages suits unless they violated rights already clearly established in closely matching precedent — a standard critics and defenders describe in opposite terms.
Nathan Brooks