Like many Democrat candidates running for President in 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been an active proponent of campaign finance reform. According to OpenSecrets, "When he served as New York City’s public advocate in 2010, he penned an article in The Nation condemning Citizens United and called on state and local leaders across America to join him..."

And, like other 2020 Democrats, he doesn't think that the existing rules apply to him. 

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified this morning for the first time in front of the House Judiciary Committee regarding his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

While Americans know that no collusion occurred between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, many questions remain regarding the false allegations against the President that started this probe in the first place.

The future of the Electoral College has become an increasingly important topic as the 2020 presidential election approaches. Democratic candidates Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have all called for the Electoral College to be abolished. What the candidates fail to tell their supporters is that abolishing the Electoral College is a dangerous prospect that would hurt the voice of smaller states in presidential elections.

The RNLA is proud to congratulate Elliot Berke and John Fogarty on their reappointment to the Board of Advisors for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

Former RNLA President Elliot Berke and current RNLA Board of Governors member John Fogarty will continue to serve with distinction and provide valuable insight to the EAC.

In an interview with the dean of Georgetown University Law School on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan expressed her dismay with the Court’s recent decision regarding partisan gerrymandering, even going so far as saying that she will “never accept” the Court’s decision. In Rucho v. Common Cause, the majority held that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions and are, therefore, beyond the reach of federal courts.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General William Barr, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress due to alleged malfeasance related to the administration of the 2020 Census. The 230-198 vote was largely along party lines, with 4 Democrats joining Republicans against the measure. Democrats state that Barr and Ross have failed to comply with subpoenas requesting documents pertaining to the “citizenship question”, while the department heads stand firm that these documents relate to pending litigation and therefore cannot be made public.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor this morning to complain once again about Democrats not getting their way on their proposals for election security measures.

This afternoon, the U.S. Senate confirmed Peter Phipps to fill a vacant seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit with a vote of 56-40. Notably, Senators Bennet, Booker, Gillibrand, and Harris, all candidates for the Democratic nomination for president, did not participate in the vote. Phipps is the 43rd circuit court judge to be confirmed by the Senate since President Trump entered office.

“History will be kind to me because I intend to write it” is often ascribed to Winston Churchill.  Justice Brett Kavanaugh could do little better in presenting his case for history than this after-action report by Hemingway, a reporter for the Federalist and Severino, a former Thomas clerk and a participant in many of the judicial wars through her work at the Judicial Crisis Network.  Justice on Trial is chock-a-block with small, telling vignettes that only a participant or someone with impeccable sources could obtain.  For instance, Justice Kavanaugh’s suits being temporarily stored in a neighborhood kid’s treehouse and retrieved for him by the kid to avoid a hostile, untiring, and intrusive press siege of his house.  Similarly, the image of Senator Ted Cruz booming out “Treason!” in imitation of what the Democrats were likely to confront Justice Kavanaugh with will stick with the reader.

On Thursday afternoon, RNLA Vice President for Communications Harmeet Dhillon addressed an audience of media, government, and business leaders at the White House Presidential Social Media Summit. President Trump called her a great First Amendment lawyer.  Dhillon represents a number of media figures and whistleblowers who have directly experienced the suppression of free speech. In her remarks, Dhillon excoriated tech giants for censorship and repression of free speech.