Politics

Institute to Co-Host Minnesota Law Review Symposium on "Law & Politics in the 21st Century" on October 17, 2008

Posted on September 25, 2008
On October 17, the Institute for Law and Politics will co-sponsor the University of Minnesota Law Review's annual symposium at the law school.The event is scheduled to take place following the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, and prior to the general election...

Tuesday, September 9th is Primary Election Day in Minnesota

Posted on September 08, 2008
With all the media and political coverage in Minnesota surrounding the DNC and RNC Conventions, you may have missed that Tuesday, September 9th is Primary Election Day in Minnesota.If you are an eligible Minnesota voter, you can register to vote at your polling place on election day...

WashingtonWeek with Gwen Ifill - Live Taping at the University of Minnesota on August 29

Posted on August 20, 2008
You are invited to a live taping of "Washington Week" with Gwen Ifill on August 29 at the University of Minnesota.The University of Minnesota Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, along with the AARP are sponsoring this opportunity to participate in PBS's national political news show...

Institute for Law and Politics Events During the RNC - Tuesday, September 2

Posted on August 19, 2008
The Institute for Law and Politics is hosting a number of events at the University of Minnesota Law School on Tuesday, September 2, during the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities. Parking and directions are available here. For additional information, visit the Institute for Law and Politics home page...

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Check out the YouTube Franken / Coleman US Senate Debate

Posted on July 30, 2008
This week YouTube is highlighting user-generated video questions for Al Franken and Norm Coleman as part of their 2008 U.S. Senate campaign:Check out the submitted questions and their responses on YouChoose2008. Enjoy the Law and Politics Blog? Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Jesse "The Senator" Ventura?

Posted on July 09, 2008
In multiple interviews today, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura hinted that he is considering joining the state's 2008 U.S. Senate race.NPR, the AP, the Politico, the New York Times all have reports on his possible candidacy against Norm Coleman and Al Franken...

General Election Fundraising Landscape

Posted on June 08, 2008
With the general election campaign about to begin in full force, presumptive nominees Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ), as well as their respective parties, are gearing up for a highly-competitive campaign. As reported in the Washington Post, each candidate seeks to expand the electoral map and use his appeal to independent voters to compete in states that would otherwise not be competitive...

Shakeups Continue in Minnesota Attorney General's Office

Posted on May 28, 2008
After nearly a year and a half in office, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson's office continues to be plagued by staff dissension.The Star Tribune reports that an independent investigation of the office by St. Thomas Law Dean Thomas Mengler cleared the Attorney General of wrongdoing related to her handling of cases in the office...

US Supreme Court Upholds Voter ID Requirement

Posted on April 28, 2008
This morning the United States Supreme Court released its decision in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (pdf). This case sought to determine whether the State of Indiana's voter identification requirement violated the constitutional rights of voters...

Monday, April 28: Professor Patrick Garry to Lead Lunch Discussion on Judicial Decisionmaking

Posted on April 11, 2008
On Monday, April 28, University of South Dakota Law Professor Patrick Garry will lead a discussion on his new book, "An Entrenched Legacy: How the New Deal Constitutional Revolution Continues to Shape the Role of the Supreme Court."From Amazon: "An Entrenched Legacy takes a fresh look at the role of the Supreme Court in our modern constitutional system...

Thursday, April 24: Governor Al Quie and Representative Steve Simon to Discuss Judicial Selection in Minnesota

Posted on April 11, 2008
On Thursday, April 24, Former Minnesota Governor Al Quie (R) and Minnesota State Representative Steve Simon (DFL) will discuss possible reforms to Minnesota's judicial selection system. Governor Quie recently chaired a state commission to study possible reforms to Minnesota's system...

Monday, April 28: Professor Marc-Olivier Baruch to Discuss the Implementation of Anti-Semitic Legislation in France in 1940-44

Posted on April 09, 2008
On Monday, April 28, Professor Marc-Olivier Baruch, Professor and Director of Studies, Center of Historical Research, L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociale, CNRS, will lead a discussion on the implementation of anti-Semitic legislation in France in 1940-44...

Klobuchar Endorses Obama

Posted on March 31, 2008
The latest news from the Wall Street Journal and the Star Tribune indicates that freshman Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama last night."My endorsement reflects both Barack's strong support in my state and my own independent judgment about his abilities," explained Klobuchar, likening the Illinois Democrat to Minnesota's first Vice President, Hubert Humphrey...

Will Protracted Nomination Fight Help or Hurt Democrats?

Posted on March 26, 2008
Common political wisdom in recent weeks, as exemplified by this report in the New York Times, is that a protracted nomination fight could spoil the best chance Democrats have in recent years of reclaiming the White House. With an unpopular president and a struggling economy, Democratic candidates Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) argue that they have a unique opportunity to claim the mantle of change and sail to victory...

What Could Go Wrong in Florida?

Posted on March 13, 2008
Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board Member Rick Hasen predicts in his Election Law Blog three potential problems if Florida goes forward with a June Mail-Vote Primary:1. An Election MeltdownAs I have noted,"there's something especially worrisome about rolling out a new system for counting votes for the first time in a presidential contest...

Florida Democratic Party Proposes June 3 Mail Vote Primary

Posted on March 12, 2008
Politico reports that the Florida Democratic Party has developed a plan to redo its Primary election through a June 3 Mail Ballot.No word yet from either Clinton or Obama on their reactions to the proposal. The re-vote election is estimated to cost between $10-$12 million, though right now, no one has volunteered to pay for it...

The Myth of Voter Fraud?

Posted on March 10, 2008
Institute for Law and Politics Senior Fellow David Schultz recently published a law review article titled, "Less Than Fundamental: The Myth of Voter Fraud and the Coming of the Second Great Disenfranchisement (PDF)"In the article, Professor Schultz essentially makes two arguments...

Presidential Candidate Campaign Obstacles

Posted on February 25, 2008
Now that there's a mini-lull in the presidential campaign schedule, here is some information on the obstacles facing each of the remaining presidential candidates:For Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican nominee, there is a concern that his prior entry into the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) public financing system, and the FEC chairman's recent letter suggesting McCain will not be able to withdraw from such a system, will hamstring his campaign before he officially accepts the Republican nomination in Minneapolis-St...

It's Our Party (we should be allowed to vote if we want to)

Posted on February 13, 2008
[Senior Fellow David Schultz asked me to submit this post on his behalf]Imagine the Minnesota DFL Party adopting a rule that no people of color could participate in their caucuses, or the Republican Party adopting one barring women from attending. Could they do that? Proponents of the political parties seem to imply such a right when arguing against a law calling for primaries instead of caucuses for the selection of presidential and other candidates...

Obama v. Clinton: Could Delegate Counts Spark a Lawsuit?

Posted on February 11, 2008
Former U.S. Solicitor General and Bush v. Gore counsel, Ted Olson, writes in today's Wall Street Journal of the possibility of contentious litigation should there be a contest in seating delegates to the Democratic National Convention:"Imagine that as the convention approaches, Sen...

Check Out Hillary's New Victory Speech Game

Posted on February 07, 2008
Stephen Colbert at The Colbert Report introduces us to Hillary's new dance and tells us that Garrison Keillor is the "whitest man alive". Check out the video here: Enjoy the Law and Politics Blog? Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Where Do Democrats Go From Here?

Posted on February 06, 2008
There is likely to be a protracted battle for Delegates to the Democratic National Convention unseen in generations.With Obama and Hillary very near each other in Delegate counts after Super Tuesday (Hillary: ~845, Obama: ~765) and neither anywhere near the 2,025 needed to win the nomination, this contest could go on for weeks (if not months)...

The Free Market Predicts Obama Will Win California Tomorrow

Posted on February 04, 2008
Two electronic predictive markets that offer trades on the Democratic Presidential Primary in California tomorrow both predict wins for Barack Obama.InTrade Prediction Markets, trading real money, is currently trading a Barack Obama win in California at 57...

John McCain Will Be The Republican Nominee

Posted on January 29, 2008
John McCain tonight won the Florida Primary.It is also being reported that with Rudy Giuliani's disappointing third-place finish in Florida, that tomorrow he will likely drop out of the race and endorse Senator McCain.McCain and Giuliani already lead in most February 5 Super Tuesday states...

Nevada Caucuses Update

Posted on January 17, 2008
Today Federal District Judge James Mahan declined to issue a temporary injunction against the Democratic Party of Nevada's at large caucuses. ?State Democrats have a First Amendment right to association, to assemble and to set their own rules,? Judge Mahan said...

Federal Court Hears Case on Nevada Caucuses Today

Posted on January 17, 2008
Last Friday, Nevada's teachers union filed a lawsuit against the Democratic Party of Nevada in Federal Court claiming their at-large precincts violate 14th Amendment equal protection clause. The at-large precincts are set up at nine Vegas hotels and resorts by the Democratic Party of Nevada to afford thousands of hotel employees an opportunity to participate in the midday causes while at work...

Lunch Discussion with Former Assistant Attorney General Rachel Brand - Thursday, January 24

Posted on January 14, 2008
Please join us as we continue our Lunch Discussion Series with Institute Advisory Board member and former United States Assistant Attorney General Rachel Brand as she speaks on:"An Insider's Perspective on Federal Judicial Confirmations"Thursday, January 24, 2008 from 12:15pm - 1:20pm at the University of Minnesota Law School (Directions and parking information here)...

Minnesota Caucus on "Super Tuesday", February 5

Posted on January 14, 2008
Minnesota will hold its caucuses at 7:00pm on Tuesday, February 5.Partisan precinct caucuses will determine Minnesota's National Delegates for the Presidential nomination. Caucuses also elect local party officers, propose issue resolutions for party platforms, and elect delegates to local party conventions...

Democratic Presidential Race Taking Shape?

Posted on January 14, 2008
After splitting wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, Democratic Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) are mounting increasingly aggressive campaigns against each other, as the Washington Post's Dan Balz notes. Far from being a two-way race, however, Balz also argues that former Senator John Edwards (D-N...

2008 Presidential Election: What's Next?

Posted on January 14, 2008
We are now in what can be considered the middle of the front-loaded Presidential nominating process. The two early states, Iowa and New Hampshire, are now behind us. A handful of additional states will have their contests in the next two weeks, with the majority of National Delegates allocated on February 5...

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