Politics

Update on Mark Ritchie Investigation

Posted on January 09, 2008
Legislative Auditor James Noble released a report yesterday stating that Secretary of State Mark Ritchie did not violate the law when he provided his campaign contact information solicited from recent participants in a state civic engagement program organized by Ritchie?s state office...

McCain and Obama Leading the Day Before New Hampshire Primary

Posted on January 07, 2008
The 2008 New Hampshire Presidential Primary is tomorrow. It appears likely that Barack Obama and John McCain will win there, which would be important victories for each of them, and will almost certainly lead to more candidates to withdraw from the race (Fred Thompson? Duncan Hunter? Bill Richardson?)...

Steve Grove Explains How Tomorrow's Iowa Caucuses Will Work

Posted on January 02, 2008
Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board member Steve Grove explains how the Iowa Caucuses work in this new YouTube video:For those who missed it, last week Newsweek magazine named Steve one of its "Next 2008". Enjoy the Law and Politics Blog? Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Iowa Caucuses Two Days Away and Still Wide Open

Posted on January 01, 2008
The Iowa Presidential Caucuses will be held this Thursday, January 3, and national polls show a virtual dead heat among the three Democratic front-runners. The final Des Moines Register poll before the caucuses shows Barack Obama with a 7-point lead over Hillary Clinton...

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Minnesota Secretary of State under Investigation

Posted on November 27, 2007
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie?s office has become embroiled in an evolving political controversy that has now led to an official investigation by Legislative Auditor James Noble. Last month conservative bloggers picked up on a complaint from two Republican activists who received an unsolicited electronic newsletter from Secretary of State Mark Ritchie?s campaign...

Institute Advisory Board Member Steve Grove previews tomorrow's CNN/YouTube Republican Debate

Posted on November 27, 2007
Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board Member and YouTube News and Politics Editor Steve Grove gives us a behind-the-scenes video preview of the CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Candidate Debate which will air tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28, at 7:00pm Central on CNN: Enjoy the Law and Politics Blog? Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Senator Trent Lott Resigns Unexpectedly

Posted on November 26, 2007
According to the Washington Post, Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), the Senate minority whip, will resign his seat by the end of the year. Lott, No. 2 in the Republican Senate hierarchy behind Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), was not expected to resign, and had returned to power in 2006 after several years of exile after being forced to resign as Majority Leader following controversial remarks he made at the late Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party in 2002...

Co-Director David Stras to Discuss Judicial Appointments, Friday, November 30

Posted on November 15, 2007
On Friday, November 30, Co-Director David Stras will lead a discussion on the politics of judicial appointments related to his recent paper: "The New Politics of Judicial Appointments (pdf)." The event will be from 12:15pm-1:30pm in Room 65 of the University of Minnesota Law School...

Today's Lunch Discussion: Senior Fellow David Schultz to discuss voter fraud

Posted on November 09, 2007
Senior Fellow David Schultz will lead a discussion on voter fraud issues related to his recent paper: "Less than Fundamental: The Myth of Voter Fraud and the Coming of the Second Great Disenfranchisement. (pdf)"The discussion will be held in Room 15 of the law school from 12:15pm-1:15pm...

Advisory Board Member Tova Wang Questions the Value of the Caucus System

Posted on November 09, 2007
Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board Member Tova Wang - a Fellow at the Century Foundation - recently authored a report arguing against the use of caucuses in the presidential selection process.Her paper, "Has America Outgrown the Caucus? Some Thoughts on Reshaping the Nomination Contest" (pdf), argues that time-consuming, weeknight caucuses violate the principal that all citizens should have an equal opportunity to participate in the political system...

2008 Presidential Primaries Might Move into 2007

Posted on October 29, 2007
According to The Washington Post and The New York Times, Iowa Democrats have moved their caucus date to January 3, 2008, the same day Republicans will hold the first-in-the-nation caucuses. The change exemplifies the recent trend in which states have attempted to move their nomination contests earlier in the year to ensure that voters play a significant role in the candidate vetting process...

Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta to Speak at the Institute for Law and Politics

Posted on October 15, 2007
Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta will join the Institute for Law and Politics this Thursday, October 18 from 2:00pm-3:00pm for a discussion on "Congressional Investigations and the Separation of Powers".Mr. Podesta will speak at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis...

The Battle Over Early Primaries

Posted on October 12, 2007
According to both the New York Times and the Detroit Free Press, four Democrats (Edwards, Obama, Richardson, and Biden) withdrew from the Michigan primary on Wednesday. This leaves only Senators Clinton and Dodd on the primary ballot, effectively ceding the contest to Senator Clinton in what is shaping up to be a very tight race...

Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board member discusses campaign finance

Posted on October 08, 2007
Check out this C-SPAN appearance by Institute for Law and Politics Advisory Board member Morgan Felchner, the Editor of Campaigns & Elections magazine, as she discusses presidential campaign finances and takes viewer calls.Video Here Enjoy the Law and Politics Blog? Subscribe to our RSS Feed

National Public Radio's Nina Totenberg Interviews Jack Goldsmith, author of "The Terror Presidency"

Posted on October 02, 2007
In a seven-minute interview, National Public Radio legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg interviewed former White House Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) Official Jack Goldsmith today. Goldsmith is the author of "The Terror Presidency" which discusses the Bush Administration's battles with the OLC surrounding torture, warrantless surveillance, and the detention and trial of suspected terrorists...

David Stras on Minnesota Public Radio

Posted on September 28, 2007
Professor David Stras and former Minnesota Law Professor Daniel Farber, now at the University of California-Berkeley, were featured this morning on the Midmorning Show with Kerri Miller, a Minnesota Public Radio program. The two discussed some of the controversial cases on the Supreme Court's upcoming docket, trends in the court's jurisprudence and collegiality, recent written commentary on the court, and responded to call-in questions...

New York Times Magazine and National Public Radio on the Supreme Court

Posted on September 23, 2007
In two fascinating accounts, The New York Times Magazine and National Public Radio provide the latest media portrayals of life at the Supreme Court.On NPR's program "Fresh Air," Terry Gross interviews legal scholar Jeffrey Toobin on his new book entitled "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court...

Stephen Colbert on the California Electoral Vote reform proposal

Posted on September 19, 2007
Last night the Colbert Report aired a segment on the proposed referendum in California to allocated presidential electors by Congressional District, rather than the current statewide, winner-take-all system. If the plan passes next year, the Republican presidential candidate would likely receive an additional 20-25 electoral votes - the equivalent of winning Ohio...

Bush Announces AG Nominee

Posted on September 17, 2007
Former Federal Judge Michael Mukasey has been tapped by President Bush to replace outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. Judge Mukasey is a former prosecutor who recently retired after serving 19 years on the federal bench in the Southern District of New York...

Special Session Today to Address Flood Relief

Posted on September 11, 2007
Governor Tim Pawlenty has called for a special session to be held today at 5pm for the purpose of passing $150 to $160 million in relief funds aimed at easing the plight of flood victims in southeastern Minnesota. Under the Minnesota constitution, the Governor alone holds the power to call a special session ?on extraordinary occasions...

An update on the broken presidential primary system

Posted on September 05, 2007
Here's where we stand:The Christian Science Monitor reports that the presidential candidates have taken sides in the rapidly-intensifying battle for early primaries:"The pressure on defiant states increased over the weekend, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Sen...

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