Rick Pildes
@rickpildes.bsky.social
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Legal expert at NYU on issues concerning democracy and the structure of American government.
I have always said that in any head-on confrontation with the President, the Court was on its strongest ground in the tariffs case. This is not a context in which presidential "defiance" of the Court's decision is possible.
18 days ago
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On today's Supreme Court decision on standing in election law cases, here's my post at Election Law Blog:
electionlawblog.org?p=153834
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Today's Decision on Standing in Election Cases, Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections #ELB
Back at the time the Court was asked to hear this case about when candidates have standing to challenge election laws in advance of an election, I supported on this blog the Court taking the case. I t...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=153834
about 2 months ago
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I don't think he's going to like
@samuelmoyn.bsky.social
's new book.
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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The Court's action in the Chicago national guard case means that if a Pres. believes force is needed to protect federal personnel or property, he must use the US military rather than the national guard. In other words, the Court's opinion takes the national guard option off the table.
3 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
Genevieve Lakier
3 months ago
This is not to say that a win for the challengers in this case would be terrible. I am persuaded by
@rickpildes.bsky.social
and Bob Bauer's argument that, given the deregulation of everything else, further deregulation in this case might in fact have beneficial consequences
bsky.app/profile/rick...
add a skeleton here at some point
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I've published this essay at Bloomberg Law on the Supreme Court's stay order in the Texas redistricting case Decision has troubling implications for federal court oversight of state law election changes more generally.
news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-exchan...
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Justices’ Texas Map Order May Spur Last-Minute Voting Law Tweaks
Opinion: NYU Law's Rick Pildes says the SCOTUS ruling that it’s too close to the 2026 elections for courts to weigh in on Texas’ new maps risks giving states too much latitude to change voting laws be...
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-exchange-insights-and-commentary/justices-texas-map-order-may-spur-last-minute-voting-law-tweaks
3 months ago
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Today the Supreme Court is hearing a major case on the First Amendment rights of political parties and campaign finance Bob Bauer and I published this essay on the case, arguing that money flowing through the parties, rather than outside groups, is better for the democratic process Link in next post
3 months ago
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After Trump v. Slaughter, will there be any independent entities left other than the Federal Reserve? This post addresses Congress' critical effort to ensure the federal election commissions could not be captured by one political party.
electionlawblog.org?p=153385
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After Trump v. Slaughter, Will There Be Independent Agencies Other than the Fed: The Case of the Federal Election Agencies #ELB
As the Supreme Court’s Monday argument approaches in Trump v. Slaughter on the unitary executive branch theory and independent agencies, two outcomes already seem foreordained. The Court is likely to ...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=153385
3 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
David Cole
4 months ago
I look forward to defending free speech from its progressive critics — and conservative assailants == as the Tanner Letures Nov. 12 and 13
@princeton.edu
A timely topic, sadly
lectures.princeton.edu/lectures/202...
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Tanner Lecture on Human Values: David D. Cole
Progressives have increasingly lost faith in the First Amendment—at least as it has been interpreted and applied by the Supreme Court. They argue that free speech has been “weaponized” by big busines...
https://lectures.princeton.edu/lectures/2025/tanner-lecture-human-values-david-d-cole
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Just saw this, glad you enjoyed it.
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
Lawfare
4 months ago
On Lawfare Daily,
@klonick.bsky.social
spoke to
@rickpildes.bsky.social
about his article, “Political Fragmentation in Democracies in the West,” the link between social media and threats to democracy, and the unique way this technology is now impacting the United States political system.
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Hat tip to
@martylederman.bsky.social
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4 months ago
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Steve Skowronek has an essay today on "Authoritarianism Then and Now" at the NYU Democracy Project:
democracyproject.org/posts/author...
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Authoritarianism Then and Now
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
https://democracyproject.org/posts/authoritarianism-then-and-now
5 months ago
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On fusion voting and the NJ Supreme Court: A new political party called the Moderate Party is challenging on state constitutional grounds NJ's ban on fusion voting. The court is considering whether to hear this challenge. I published an essay urging the court to take the case. More below..
5 months ago
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Here's an analogy. If the government imposes financial costs on you, you have standing. But if the government is beneficent and engages in spending you believe is illegal, it can be difficult to find anyone with standing to challenge.
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5 months ago
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Marty does not understand what's at stake in this case. Political parties and voters have always had standing to challenge voting rules they allege violate their rights, by BURDENING their right to vote. That's the Crawford case...
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5 months ago
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When legal populists of the right mean legal populists of the left. Today's essay in the NYU Democracy Project from Jonathan Mitchell: "Judicial Supremacy and American Democracy"
democracyproject.org/posts/judici...
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Judicial Supremacy and American Democracy
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
https://democracyproject.org/posts/judicial-supremacy-and-american-democracy
5 months ago
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The Court heard oral argument today in an important election law standing case. I published in advance an essay on the case in Law 360, which is paywalled. The question is when candidates for federal office can challenge election laws prospectively. For my view, see next post
5 months ago
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Thanks for this comment, much appreciated.
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5 months ago
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"Democracies in the Age of Fragmentation," my essay in NYU's Democracy Project series, was published this week. Link here, brief excerpts to follow.
democracyproject.org/posts/democr...
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Democracies in the Age of Fragmentation
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
https://democracyproject.org/posts/democracies-in-the-age-of-fragmentation
5 months ago
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At NYU's Democracy Project (more on that later), Prof. Caleb Nelson has a feature essay arguing that originalism does not support the unitary executive branch theory. Caleb is one of the country's leading originalist scholars, frequently cited by the Court.
democracyproject.org/posts/must-a...
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Special Feature: Must Administrative Officers Serve at the President’s Pleasure?
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
https://democracyproject.org/posts/must-administrative-officers-serve-at-the-presidents-pleasure
5 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
Noah Rosenblum
7 months ago
Delighted to share my latest, History and Fetishism in the New Separation of Powers Formalism, now live in the Penn Law Review! The piece traces the emergence of the Supreme Court’s new approach to separation of powers law and argues that it is grounded in a set of basic mistakes. (1/3)
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Cass Sunstein wrote an essay I found intriguing called "The Morality of Legality." We decided to do a short video discussing the ideas in it.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
@casssunstein.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqlH...
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The Morality of Legality: A Conversation between Cass Sunstein and Richard Pildes
YouTube video by NYU School of Law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqlHwZpTND4
8 months ago
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The Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management is going to make it harder to claim that the President can only remove for good cause commissioners of the federal election agencies, the FEC and EAC. I explain in this post:
electionlawblog.org?p=150710
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How A Recent Supreme Court Decision Affects the President's Executive Orders Concerning the FEC and the ECA #ELB
Congress designed the Federal Election Commission and the Election Assistance Commission to be “independent agencies” in various respects. See, e.g., S. Rep. No. 93689, at 16 (1974) (emphasizing that ...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150710
8 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
Jamal Greene
8 months ago
As
@rickpildes.bsky.social
and Bob Bauer discuss here, this issue challenges traditional campaign finance reform advocacy. There's a strong argument that leaving this in place while the rest of the law has been gutted weakens parties to the detriment of democracy.
electionlawblog.org?p=150545
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Breaking news: the Supreme Court has granted cert on an important case raising issues about the role of political parties in the campaign finance system. Last week, Bob Bauer and I blogged about the issues in this case and their significance:
electionlawblog.org?p=150545
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The Supreme Court, The Political Parties, and the SuperPacs #ELB
This post is co-written with Bob Bauer, NYU Professor of Practice who formerly represented in private practice national and state Democratic Party committees: Later this week, the Supreme Court will c...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150545
8 months ago
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The Supreme Court is considering a case on whether current limits on the ability of political parties to coordinate with their candidates violate the First Amendment In this essay, Bob Bauer and I urge the Court to re-consider the role of parties in an age of SuperPacs
electionlawblog.org?p=150545
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The Supreme Court, The Political Parties, and the SuperPacs #ELB
This post is co-written with Bob Bauer, who among other roles, served as former General Counsel to the Democratic National Committee: Later this week, the Supreme Court will consider hearing a case ne...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150545
9 months ago
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On the Supreme Court's pending decision in the Louisiana redistricting case, LA v. Callais, I have three posts at Election Law Blog, including a new one today:
electionlawblog.org?p=150341
electionlawblog.org?p=149861
electionlawblog.org?p=149170
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More on The LA Redistricting Case Pending Before the Supreme Court #ELB
In a couple of earlier posts, here and here, I explained the mix of politics and Voting Rights Act issues involved in the Louisiana v. Callais case. The specific issue is whether LA engaged in unconst...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150341
9 months ago
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reposted by
Rick Pildes
Walter Olson
9 months ago
New 30-minute educational cut of Majority Rules, the documentary on ranked choice voting
#RCV
and how it changed voting and politics in Alaska. I hosted a screening of the longer version at
@cato.org
last year and it's good.
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Majority Rules 101 (30 min cut)
YouTube video by Unite America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA1WG7QMok
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For
#electionlaw
folks, I published this analysis of the election-law case the Court granted cert. on yesterday, on standing to bring federal challenges to election laws in advance of an election.
electionlawblog.org?p=150169
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The Court Rightly Granted Cert. in the Illinois Election Case #ELB
Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections raises important questions about who, if anyone, has standing to bring federal challenges to certain types of election laws in advance of an election. These a...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150169
9 months ago
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Over at X, I have a short thread on today's major Supreme Court decision on NEPA:
x.com/RickPildes/s...
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https://x.com/RickPildes/status/1928115918246130134
9 months ago
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On the Louisiana race and redistricting case pending before the Supreme Court, I've posted this at Election Law Blog:
electionlawblog.org?p=149861
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Who Wins or Loses in Louisiana if the Supreme Court Strikes Down LA's Congressional District as a Racial Gerrymander? #ELB
As a practical matter, the issue in Louisiana v. Callais is not whether LA will have a second Voting Rights Act (VRA) district, in which black voters will have an equal opportunity to elect their cand...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149861
10 months ago
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This is one of the best tributes to Justice Souter I've read, in part because it quotes at length from Justice Souter's own account of the processes of judging.
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
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Here's a brief post on Bush v. Gore and the NC Supreme Court election litigation:
electionlawblog.org?p=149799
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Bush v. Gore and the North Carolina Supreme Court Election Case #ELB
At an earlier stage of Judge Griffin’s attempt to challenge the election results in the contest for the North Carolina Supreme Court seat, I had written that the state court of appeals decision to cal...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149799
10 months ago
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Looking forward to doing this event for Principles First next week:
10 months ago
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If there was any traditional understanding of this sort, I've not heard of it. Separation of parties, for the Supreme Court?
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
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Look forward to doing this event for the Agora Institute tomorrow:
add a skeleton here at some point
11 months ago
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On the NC judicial election dispute: I've posted this essay on the due process issues raised by the recent 2-1 NC appellate court decision casting doubt on 60,000+ ballots.
electionlawblog.org?p=149341
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The NC Judicial Election Litigation:Â Federal Due Process Prohibits All State Actors, Including State Courts, From Changing State Election Law and Practice After The Votes Have Been Cast #ELB
The recent 2-1 decision of the North Carolina Court of Appeals calls into question the legitimacy of over 61,000 ballots cast in the Griffin-Riggs battle over a critical seat on the North Carolina Sup...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149341
11 months ago
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I found the argument in the Louisiana redistricting case, Louisiana v. Callais, frustrating. The Justices and lawyers only occasionally directly joined issue on the question at the heart of the case.
12 months ago
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On the Supreme Court race and districting case from LA that will be argued today: I have this post at ELB explaining the constraints on racial gerrymandering and how those constraints interact with the Voting Rights Act:
electionlawblog.org?p=149105
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Louisiana v. Callais and the Racial Gerrymandering Doctrine #ELB
In light of the upcoming Supreme Court argument in Louisiana v. Callais, Travis Crum published a guest post at this blog arguing that racial gerrymandering should not be unconstitutional. Crum rejects...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149105
12 months ago
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I'm not sure whether this data counts only final decisions on the merits or rulings on TROs and PIs also or, in addition, rulings on other motions.
@adambonica.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
12 months ago
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Later today I'll be delivering the 2025 Sullivan Lecture, at the beautiful atrium at the Ohio State Capitol. Perhaps an ironic location, given my subject:
@nyulaw.bsky.social
12 months ago
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My new essay, Participation Versus Effective Government, co-written with Sam Issacharoff, is now posted at SSRN.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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Participation Versus Effective Government
<div> The declining ability of the state to deliver effective outcomes on the major issues of the day is among the greatest challenges democracies currently fa
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5163201
about 1 year ago
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In our NYT essay on the tools federal courts have to enforce their orders against the executive branch, T. Morrison and I noted the inherent power to appoint private prosecutors to enforce contempt orders. Paul Clement's recent filing in the Adams case elaborates:
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/o...
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Opinion | This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them
How the escalating measures available to courts would work.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/opinion/what-if-trump-defies-courts.html
about 1 year ago
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I posted this yesterday, relevant to recent issues about small donors and the Democratic Party:
electionlawblog.org?p=148825
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"The reality is anything that empowers online donors mechanically disempowers non-white and working class Democrats" #ELB
That line is from this tweet, by David Shor, who is one of the top political data analysts on the Democratic side. You will see that he references a new academic study that makes this point. As reader...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=148825
about 1 year ago
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At SSRN, I've posted a new article, "Combatting Extremism." The essay explores a range of possible institutional reforms from the perspective of whether our current election structures contribute to extremism and polarization.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
about 1 year ago
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Trevor Morrison and I have published this essay in the NYT:
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/o...
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Opinion | This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them
How the escalating measures available to courts would work.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/opinion/what-if-trump-defies-courts.html
about 1 year ago
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