News
The Primary Threat to Our Democratic Process
Few people would characterize the conservative South as enlightened when it comes to electoral politics. But the truth is that in some respects it is more advanced than many Democratic strongholds.
Harry Kresky
Harry Kresky is a 1971 graduate of Columbia Law School, where he served as an editor of the Columbia Law Review. He is counsel to IndependentVoting.org.
Opinion
OPINION: The Best Antidote to Trumpism is More Democracy
Democrats, if they acted out of more than pique and the need to feed red meat to their base, hoped that the second impeachment would prevent Trump from running again, legally disqualifying him. Justice Roberts put the lie to that when he signaled that he would not preside because it
Opinion
OPINION: The Best Antidote to Trumpism is More Democracy
It has become clear that there is not even close to the 2/3 majority needed in the Senate to vote to convict. While the House vote to impeach helped the Democrats shape the post capitol incursion, post inaugural narrative, it has left the Democratic leadership “all dressed up...
Opinion
Closed Primaries: The Parties' Most Effective Tool to Control (And Suppress) The Vote
2020 is already a year to remember – a world-wide pandemic, militant Black-led protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer, and a presidential election. It is fair to ask what the election has to do with the other two. Will it bring anything more
Opinion
How to Slay a Dragon
I recently had the pleasure of watching Slay the Dragon, Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance’s stunning documentary on the fight against partisan gerrymandering in Michigan and Wisconsin. It played before a full house at Betaworks Studios in lower Manhattan. The film tracked parallel efforts in the Courts and on
News
Will the N.M. Supreme Court Block All Paths to End Taxpayer-Funded Closed Primaries?
I’ve been practicing law for almost 50 years. And I am still surprised when a court lets you know that the road you want to take is blocked. You may have the best arguments in the world, your client’s cause may be just, but you aren’t going
News
The Gerrymander Case: Who Speaks for the Country?
On June 18, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the “gerrymander” case. In Gill v. Whitford, 2018 U.S. LEXIS 3692, 138 S. Ct. 1916, 2018 WL 3013807, Democratic Party members claimed that their rights were violated because there was a gap between the percentage of votes the Party secured
News
Gerrymandering: Two Bullies vs. The Voters
All eyes in political reform circles are on the Wisconsin gerrymandering case (Gill v. Whitford) argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on October 3, 2017. The case was brought by a group of Democrats challenging the redistricting plan adopted by the state legislature’s Republican majority and signed into
News
Political Party Control is Protected By Courts, Funded By Your Taxes
One of the most interesting and important legal fights going on right now centers around the scope of the First Amendment rights of political parties. In a variety of contexts, the parties have asserted their rights over the rights of the people. How can it be, however, that the rights