Top 10 Posts for 2014 in the Republican Lawyer Blog

The Top 10 blog posts as selected by RNLA staff and volunteers for 2014. 

10. RNLA Responds to Dirty Tricks by Arkansas Official Illegally Cancelling Registration of Republican Attorney General Candidate

Democrats often use election law dirty tricks to try to win elections.  We are glad to report these failed in Arkansas where RNLA Member Leslie Rutledge was elected Attorney General.  This post was our response at the time and was the most read post of 2014. 

9.  Commissioner Goodman passes baton after stellar chairmanship


2014 marked a productive year for the [Federal Election] Commission under the stewardship of Chairman 
Lee E. Goodman. The agency updated long obsolete regulations, strengthened the party system, tackled complex, novel issues, and scheduled hearings on highly contentious topics for early next year. And according to campaign finance reporter Dave Levinthal, it did all this without the “personal hostility that plagued the commission earlier this decade.”

8.  RNLA Statement on FEC agreement to revise campaign finance regulations


The RNLA supports the rulemakings and applauds the Commissioners and staff who brought about this agreement. This positive development will provide clarity to the practitioners, candidates, and others whose activities are regulated under the Federal Election Campaign Act.


7.  ICMYI: NY Ballot Box Stuffing Scheme Now Importing People from Israel


In the tiny village of Bloomingburg, New York, the votes on whether or not to dissolve the 420-person village’s government and fold the village into the neighboring Town of Mamakating were reportedly sealed by Sullivan County Supreme Court Judge Stephan Schick.  . . .Lamm’s daughter and son-in-law, who had never lived in the village and who both live and work full time in Israel, flew in and tried to vote. Close to two dozen hasidic adults claimed the same Bloomingburg house owned by Lamm as their legal residence, and Lamm – who had in court documents filed in late December in an unrelated case claimed that his legal residence is in West Hempstead, New York miles away from Bloomingburg also tried to vote. All those votes were excluded and a judge lashed out at Lamm and the hasidim for apparent “ballot stuffing.”

6.  42 Democrats Favor Ending the 1st Amendment Protections of Political Free Speech


In his opening statement, ranking Judiciary Committee Member Chuck Grassley noted that the proposal would, “amend the Constitution for the first time to diminish an important right of Americans that is contained in the Bill of Rights.  In fact, it would cut back on the most important of these rights, core free speech about who should be elected to govern ourselves. . . . We would be back to the days when criticism of elected officials was a criminal offense, as during the Alien and Sedition Acts. 

5.  The 2014 Republican Lawyer of the Year Reception Honoring Mark Braden


On Tuesday night, the RNLA Board of Governors honored E. Mark Braden as the 2014 Republican Lawyer of the Year event.  Mark’s long and successful career was saluted by a number of current and former Republican leaders from Speaker John Boehner to former longtime RNC Chair Frank Fahrenkopf.

4.  Washington Post’s Reckless Reporting on Virginia’s Photo ID Law


The press have parroted figures from groups like the Brennan Center and others citing the very highest possible estimate of voters with no ID without corroborating it with election officials or other sources.


3.  Obomination: Too Extreme for the ABA but Not the Obama Justice Department


RNLA and others in favor of the rule of law opposed the nomination of Debo Adegbile to lead DOJ’s Civil Rights division.  He was later defeated and a few of the reasons are listed in this post.  


2.  How Democrats Work To Restrict Voting and Disenfranchise People in a Purple State


If Democrats really care about “voter suppression” and “restrictions on voters,” they will work with Republicans to fix the process.  However, their actions show little interest in doing more than being hypocrites on programs like Crosscheck.

1.  Victory and Defeat for Open, Fair, and Honest Elections


Today was a victory for open, fair and honest elections with the withdrawal of Ms. Perez [for the EAC].  However, the war is not over as President Obama has nominated another person [Matthew Butler] who seemingly has little interest in election administration. There are literally dozens of current and former Democrat election administrators and experts who would be qualified to help lead a commission whose responsibility it is, at least in theory, to “assist” state and local election officials and voters. . . . What are his qualifications other than being an activist progressive Democrat?  As Doug Chapin writes:  “At this point, it would appear that the Democrats have made the decision to trade a potentially controversial (and therefore problematic) pick for one that is lower-profile, albeit just as partisan.”


Special thanks to Paul Jossey, Justin Riemer, Phil Demarest, Kaitlan Fallon and everyone else who contributed to the blog this year. 

Happy New Year!