Supreme Court Set To Hand Down Several Landmark Decisions By End Of June

With one month to go in its term, there’s still a lot on the Supreme Court’s plate.

Republicans Fighting Against Efforts To Limit Gerrymandering

Republicans are trying to fight back against efforts to limit their ability to gerrymander Congressional and State Legislative Districts. It’s a fight they deserve to lose.

Ohio Voters Approve Redistricting Reform

Ohio voters have approved a referendum designed to reform the manner in which district lines are drawn.

Supreme Court Appears Skeptical Of Challenge To Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the challenge to President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban. It didn’t appear to go well for the challengers.

Supreme Court Hears Argument In Case Challenging Texas Redistricting

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in a case alleging that Texas’s Congressional and state legislative districts were drawn with the intent to discriminate based on race.

Justices Again Appear To Be Divided In Second Partisan Gerrymandering Case

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the second partisan gerrymandering case of the term, and once again they appear to be divided.

Democrats Need A Big Wave To Take Back The House. They Might Not Get It.

If the polls are any indication, Democrats may fall short in their bid to take back the House in November.

Opponents Of New Pennsylvania Redistricting Map Suffer Two Big Setbacks In Court

Challengers to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling on Congressional redistricting suffered two big setbacks in court yesterday that suggest that they’ve reached the end of the road legally.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Redraws State’s Gerrymandered Congressional Districts

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has redrawn the state’s Congressional Districts based on its recent ruling finding the current map to be unconstitutional partisan Gerrymandering. It makes a lot more sense than the map the state is currently using.

Supreme Court Declines To Place Hold On Pennsylvania Gerrymandering Decision

The Supreme Court has declined to stay a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling requiring the legislature to redraw the state’s Congressional District map.

Encouraging Signs For Democrats In New Poll, But There Are Caveats

A newly released poll has encouraging signs for Democrats in 2018, but there are several caveats.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down House District Map Due To Partisan Gerrymandering

Another win for forces fighting partisan Gerrymandering.

Federal Court Strikes Down North Carolina Congressional Districts As Partisan Gerrymandering

A Federal Court in North Carolina has issued a stinging ruling against the partisan gerrymandering undertaken by the Republican legislature in that state.

Supreme Court Takes On A Second Political Gerrymandering Case

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a second case dealing with political Gerrymandering.

Assessing The 2018 Battle For Control Of Congress

The early numbers in the battle to control Congress look good for Democrats, but there are are a number of caveats to keep in mind.

Democracy and Institutional Design I: A Basic Preface on Regime Type

The first in an occasional series.

Representative Government and Line Drawing

A complicated concurrence to Steven Taylor’s recent postings.

A Weak Defense of Extreme Gerrymandering

More thoughts related to Gill v. Whitford and the problem of extreme gerrymandering.

Skewed Majorities are Bad for Democracy

And even moreso when they are consciously created by the winner.

Supreme Court Appears Split In Political Gerrymandering Case

The Supreme Court appears split on the question of whether or not partisan Gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

Supreme Court Begins What Promises To Be A Momentous Term

Previewing the next term of the Supreme Court, which starts today.

Challenges and Threats to Representative Government in the United States

Thoughts on the quality of our democracy.

Anthony Kennedy Drops A Big Hint About Potential Retirement in 2018

Justice Kennedy is telling prospective law clerks for the term that beings in October 2018 that he is considering retiring at the end of the term that begins this October.

Democrats Take Stock

Some thoughts on the current state of the Democrats.

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Case On Partisan Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear its first case on partisan gerrymandering in more than ten years, but opponents of the practice shouldn’t start celebrating just yet.

Supreme Court Rejects Racially Gerrymandered Districts In North Carolina

An important redistricting decision was handed down by the Supreme Court today.

The Power of Primaries

As usual, an attempt to explain congressional behavior brings us back to the issue of our basic institutions. The way we elect congress matters.

Bureaucratic Insurgency

There are growing signs that the Deep State is seeking to thwart legal orders from President Trump. This is dangerous.

Republicans Maintain Control Of Senate

Defying the odds, Republicans held on in several traditionally Democratic states to keep control of the Senate.

Obama’s Lame Duck State Of The Union

President Obama’s final State Of The Union Address was largely a recognition of the fact that his time on the world stage is quickly coming to an end.

SCOTUS Accepts Virginia Redistricting Case That Tests Use Of Race And Politics In Drawing Lines

The Supreme Court has accepted for appeal a Virginia case that deal with the issue of using race and politics as a basis for drawing district lines.

The Party of Reagan on Immigration

A 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush shows a different GOP.

Supreme Court Approves States Outsourcing Redistricting to Commissions

SCOTUS has upheld the use of election commissions to draw Congressional district lines.

America’s Changing Demographics

The latest Census data show a changing America.

Supreme Court Upholds Campaign Finance Limitations In Judicial Elections

In a marked departure from recent cases, the Supreme Court rules that states can impose significant restriction on solicitation of campaign contributions in judicial elections.

Supreme Court Justices Skeptical Of Non-Legislative Redistricting

The Supreme Court seems likely to strike down state laws that take redistricting completely out of the hands of state legislatures.

In The Wake Of Midterm Losses, Some On The Left Say Democrats Should Write Off The South

Some on the left are suggesting Democrats should write off the South for the foreseeable future, but that would be as foolish as Republicans assuming that their dominance in the region will last as long as Democratic dominance did in the century after the Civil War.

Republicans Have Little Incentive To Move Forward On Immigration Reform

Despite conventional wisdom, there remains little incentive for the GOP to change its position on immigration reform.

Noncompetitive House Elections

My ongoing crusade to spark thought and discussion on the quality of representation in the US Congress.

Federal Court Voids Virginia Congressional Map

A Federal Court has given legislators in Richmond a complicated job.

Why Debating Districts Misses The Larger Point

There are plenty of other factors that help our two major parties retain power.

Good Government Reforms Gave Us Bad Government

Recent anti-corruption measures have contributed to making American government worse.

Want To Understand The GOP Hardliners? Talk To Their Constituents

To borrow a phrase from Stephen Colbert, if you want to understand how Congress works, you better know a District.

More Evidence Of The Political Risk To The GOP In A Shutdown

With just hours to go, the Republicans on Capitol Hill seem prepared to take a big political risk.

If Everybody Hates Congress, Why Do They Keep Re-Electing The Same People?

Americans tell pollsters that hate Congress, but they never seem to do anything about it.

SCOTUS: ‘Can’t Rely on Past’ for Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court today struck down the most controversial part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Republicans Haven’t Learned The Lessons Of 2012

The GOP seems to be making the same mistakes that led to defeat in 2012.