Without a quorum of four commissioners, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) cannot take many official actions, which require the affirmative votes of at least four commissioners.  These include taking actions in litigation, finding that a violation of the law occurred in response to a complaint, and defending the FEC's position in court.  The lack of a quorum has not stopped so-called campaign finance reform groups from using the complaint and litigation process to attempt to change campaign finance law through the courts.  Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a motion for default judgment against the FEC, when the FEC is not legally permitted to defend itself in court at the moment.  Republican Commissioner Caroline Hunter responded:

Some positive actions have been taken in response to the coronavirus, including slashing the burdensome regulations that have been restricting Americans access to medical attention.  President Trump used his emergency powers, and other Governors have followed suit to reduce heavy regulations.

As President Trump said today:

I have directed the FDA to eliminate outdated rules and bureaucracy so this work can proceed rapidly, quickly, and fast. we have to remove every barrier. there were a lot of barriers that were unnecessary.

As states likely expand the use of mail ballots in response to the COVID-19 breakout, they need to also protect the integrity of mail ballots to prevent both the appearance of impropriety and actual fraud this November.  Lawyers Democracy Fund published a study last year by current Republican federal Election Assistance Commission(EAC) Commissioner Don Palmer (before he joined the EAC), describing some of the steps needed to protect the integrity of mail ballots and improve voter confidence in mail voting:

In an effort to take advantage of the Tony Blair rule of politics (bury bad news during a disaster), the Mueller investigation suffered yet another blow yesterday. According to Time:

The Justice Department is moving to drop charges against two Russian companies that were accused of funding a social media campaign to sway American public opinion during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. . . .

Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering were among three companies and 13 individuals charged in 2018 by special counsel Robert Mueller in a conspiracy to spread disinformation on social media during the 2016 presidential race. The effort was aimed at dividing American public opinion and sowing discord in the electorate, officials said. . . .

The case was one of the signature indictments from Mueller’s two-year Russia investigation.

The novel coronavirus is threatening to disrupt elections along with schools, events, travel, grocery shopping, and every other aspect of our lives outside the front door.  Three states are proceeding with their presidential primaries tomorrow, with extra precautions for everyone's health, and Georgia and Louisiana have both postponed their primaries that were originally scheduled for later this month. 

RNLA Co-Chair Harmeet Dhillon wrote today at Fox News about how the Supreme Court staying a nationwide injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against President Trump's Migrant Protection Protocol will promote the rule of law:

RNLA Betty Murphy Award Winner Mike Davis and the Article III Project released a letter signed by conservative leaders in response to Senate Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s threats on Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh last week:

In a better world, this episode would mark the end of Chuck Schumer’s political career.  But even in America in 2020, it should be a permanent blot on Schumer’s record. We therefore strongly support a resolution to censure Schumer on the Senate floor.

Yesterday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outrageously threatened Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch:

I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price.  . You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.

Chief Justice Roberts in a rare rebuke stated:

Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter.

As NBC reported last night:

The number of early votes cast in the Democratic primaries for Super Tuesday contests is 4 million, according to figures as of Monday provided by TargetSmart, the National Election Poll and state secretaries of state, which were analyzed independently by NBC News.

The total includes 1.6 million in California, where 415 delegates are at stake, or 30 percent of the Super Tuesday total.

Many of those voters, however, cast their ballots before three of the candidates withdrew: Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer. That led to frustration on the part of some of their supporters on Monday and Tuesday when they learned that their early votes had been wasted on candidates who were no longer in the race. (In almost all states, an early vote is final once it is cast.)

RNLA leaders from past and present share their thoughts and memories in advance of RNLA Founding Chair Bob Horn's funeral. 

The services for Robert Jack Horn, who passed away on Thursday, February 27, 2020, will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 3:45pm at Sixth and I Synagogue, 600 I Street NW Washington, DC. 

Please join his family and friends to celebrate his remarkable life and then join the family immediately after for a reception at DBGB at 931 H St., NW, which is a short 5-minute walk from the service.   In lieu of flowers, Bob would be pleased if you would consider donating to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  or the RNLA's Bob Horn Fund for Law Students.

"Robert Horn was known as a leading light in the Republican legal community for decades. As the Founding Chairman of the RNLA, Bob was a tireless advocate for election integrity and the fight for a conservative judiciary. I also want to recognize Bob for his work on behalf of the RNC over the years, particularly his service as parliamentarian and counsel during several national conventions. We will greatly miss Bob but will remember with fondness his many contributions to the Republican Party.”

-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel