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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump's election overhaul as lawsuits continue
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday modified part of a previous ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order seeking to overhaul elections in the U.S. The minor change affects just one aspect of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper granted on June 13 in a case filed by Democratic state attorneys general. The judge said Friday that the part of Trump's order directing certain federal agencies to assess people's U.S. citizenship when they ask for voter registration forms will now only be blocked in the 19 states that filed the lawsuit. Election law experts said the modification will have little, if any, practical effect because a judge in a different lawsuit filed against the executive order also blocked the federal agencies from obeying the mandate in all 50 states. 'If there are two partially overlapping orders, the effect of changing one of them would not change what is binding in the other,' said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Friday's order follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case that judges are limited in granting nationwide injunctions. Government lawyers pointed to that ruling in arguing the court needed to 'narrow the scope' of the injunction in the elections case. The 19 Democratic attorneys general who filed the case told the judge they wouldn't object to the narrower scope. The rest of Casper's initial preliminary injunction against other aspects of the election executive order remains intact. In June, the judge blocked various parts of Trump's sweeping order, including a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voting form and a requirement that mailed ballots be received, rather than just postmarked, by Election Day. The government continues to fight the attorney generals' lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Boston, and has a motion to dismiss it. The Department of Justice on Friday did not reply to multiple requests for comment. The development comes as other lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order on elections continue to play out. That includes the one with the other preliminary injunction, filed by Democrats and civil rights groups. It also includes another from Washington and Oregon, where voting is done almost entirely by mail ballot. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump's election overhaul as lawsuits continue
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday modified part of a previous ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order seeking to overhaul elections in the U.S. The minor change affects just one aspect of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper granted on June 13 in a case filed by Democratic state attorneys general. The judge said Friday that the part of Trump's order directing certain federal agencies to assess people's U.S. citizenship when they ask for voter registration forms will now only be blocked in the 19 states that filed the lawsuit. Election law experts said the modification will have little, if any, practical effect because a judge in a different lawsuit filed against the executive order also blocked the federal agencies from obeying the mandate in all 50 states. 'If there are two partially overlapping orders, the effect of changing one of them would not change what is binding in the other,' said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Friday's order follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case that judges are limited in granting nationwide injunctions. Government lawyers pointed to that ruling in arguing the court needed to 'narrow the scope' of the injunction in the elections case. The 19 Democratic attorneys general who filed the case told the judge they wouldn't object to the narrower scope. The rest of Casper's initial preliminary injunction against other aspects of the election executive order remains intact. In June, the judge blocked various parts of Trump's sweeping order, including a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voting form and a requirement that mailed ballots be received, rather than just postmarked, by Election Day. The government continues to fight the attorney generals' lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Boston, and has a motion to dismiss it. The Department of Justice on Friday did not reply to multiple requests for comment. The development comes as other lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order on elections continue to play out. That includes the one with the other preliminary injunction, filed by Democrats and civil rights groups. It also includes another from Washington and Oregon, where voting is done almost entirely by mail ballot. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta.
2 days ago
- Business
A Georgia Republican governor candidate questions legality of rival's $10M campaign loan
ATLANTA -- A Republican candidate for Georgia governor asked a state ethics body Thursday to determine whether his GOP rival illegally lent $10 million to a campaign committee to evade restrictions under state campaign finance law. Attorney General Chris Carr's campaign lawyer asked the Georgia Ethics Commission for a legal opinion saying Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. A spokesperson for Jones called the complaint a 'weak attempt to get attention' in a statement. Carr and some other candidates for state office cannot have the so-called leadership committees for campaign fundraising under a 2021 state law that created the committees unless they win their party's nomination for governor or lieutenant governor. Instead, they are limited to candidate committees, which can raise a maximum of $8,400 from each donor. Opponents say that's an unfair advantage for incumbents. Jones and Carr are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who legally can't run again after two terms. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Jones filed documents showing he made loans of $7.5 million and $2.5 million to the WBJ Leadership Committee when he announced his long-anticipated run for governor on July 8. The cash infusion was part of Jones' strategy to set himself up as the front-runner in the race. Carr announced his run for governor last year, saying he needed a long runway to raise money because he isn't personally wealthy. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to win the primary. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Carr's campaign, on Thursday requested an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on whether the loans are legal. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee, or even a leadership committee, which is allowed to coordinate with a candidate committee. Carr's campaign cited a 2022 federal judge's ruling that a leadership committee for Gov. Brian Kemp could not spend money to get Kemp reelected during the Republican primary that year. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen found that the 'unequal campaign finance scheme' violated challenger David Perdue's First Amendment right to free speech. Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said in a statement she was 'not surprised by this weak attempt to get attention — it's exactly what you'd expect from a campaign that's losing steam with many months to go until Election Day.' Tyson suggested that if Jones could make a loan to the leadership committee and then raise unlimited sums to repay himself, he could give the repaid money to his candidate committee to spend in the primary. That would evade Cohen's ban on the use of leadership committee money in the primary. Tyson warned that such laundering would 'wash away contribution limits entirely.' The Ethics Commission must issue an advisory opinion within 60 days under state law. In a related complaint to the commission on Thursday, Tyson alleged that Jones broke state law because his previous financial disclosures didn't show that he had $10 million in cash or securities to be able to afford such large loans. Tyson pointed to a 2022 financial disclosure that showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. The rest was tied up in the value of real estate and Jones' insurance agency, the disclosure stated. Tyson noted that Jones' 2024 disclosure showed he hadn't sold real estate or his business, arguing 'it appears he could not have sufficient liquid assets to loan his leadership committee $10 million.' Ethics complaints can take years to resolve, but Tyson said it was 'imperative' that the commission move quickly to determine the source of the loan, whether it was properly reported and whether Jones planned to spend from his leadership committee in the primary.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
A Georgia Republican governor candidate questions legality of rival's $10M campaign loan
ATLANTA (AP) — A Republican candidate for Georgia governor asked a state ethics body Thursday to determine whether his GOP rival illegally lent $10 million to a campaign committee to evade restrictions under state campaign finance law. Attorney General Chris Carr's campaign lawyer asked the Georgia Ethics Commission for a legal opinion saying Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. A spokesperson for Jones called the complaint a 'weak attempt to get attention' in a statement. Carr and some other candidates for state office cannot have the so-called leadership committees for campaign fundraising under a 2021 state law that created the committees unless they win their party's nomination for governor or lieutenant governor. Instead, they are limited to candidate committees, which can raise a maximum of $8,400 from each donor. Opponents say that's an unfair advantage for incumbents. Jones and Carr are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who legally can't run again after two terms. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Jones filed documents showing he made loans of $7.5 million and $2.5 million to the WBJ Leadership Committee when he announced his long-anticipated run for governor on July 8. The cash infusion was part of Jones' strategy to set himself up as the front-runner in the race. Carr announced his run for governor last year, saying he needed a long runway to raise money because he isn't personally wealthy. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to win the primary. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Carr's campaign, on Thursday requested an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on whether the loans are legal. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee, or even a leadership committee, which is allowed to coordinate with a candidate committee. Carr's campaign cited a 2022 federal judge's ruling that a leadership committee for Gov. Brian Kemp could not spend money to get Kemp reelected during the Republican primary that year. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen found that the 'unequal campaign finance scheme' violated challenger David Perdue's First Amendment right to free speech. Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said in a statement she was 'not surprised by this weak attempt to get attention — it's exactly what you'd expect from a campaign that's losing steam with many months to go until Election Day.' Tyson suggested that if Jones could make a loan to the leadership committee and then raise unlimited sums to repay himself, he could give the repaid money to his candidate committee to spend in the primary. That would evade Cohen's ban on the use of leadership committee money in the primary. Tyson warned that such laundering would 'wash away contribution limits entirely.' The Ethics Commission must issue an advisory opinion within 60 days under state law. In a related complaint to the commission on Thursday, Tyson alleged that Jones broke state law because his previous financial disclosures didn't show that he had $10 million in cash or securities to be able to afford such large loans. Tyson pointed to a 2022 financial disclosure that showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. The rest was tied up in the value of real estate and Jones' insurance agency, the disclosure stated. Tyson noted that Jones' 2024 disclosure showed he hadn't sold real estate or his business, arguing 'it appears he could not have sufficient liquid assets to loan his leadership committee $10 million.' Ethics complaints can take years to resolve, but Tyson said it was 'imperative' that the commission move quickly to determine the source of the loan, whether it was properly reported and whether Jones planned to spend from his leadership committee in the primary.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
A Georgia Republican governor candidate questions legality of rival's $10M campaign loan
ATLANTA (AP) — A Republican candidate for Georgia governor asked a state ethics body Thursday to determine whether his GOP rival illegally lent $10 million to a campaign committee to evade restrictions under state campaign finance law. Attorney General Chris Carr's campaign lawyer asked the Georgia Ethics Commission for a legal opinion saying Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. A spokesperson for Jones called the complaint a 'weak attempt to get attention' in a statement. Carr and some other candidates for state office cannot have the so-called leadership committees for campaign fundraising under a 2021 state law that created the committees unless they win their party's nomination for governor or lieutenant governor. Instead, they are limited to candidate committees, which can raise a maximum of $8,400 from each donor. Opponents say that's an unfair advantage for incumbents. Jones and Carr are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who legally can't run again after two terms. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Jones filed documents showing he made loans of $7.5 million and $2.5 million to the WBJ Leadership Committee when he announced his long-anticipated run for governor on July 8. The cash infusion was part of Jones' strategy to set himself up as the front-runner in the race. Carr announced his run for governor last year, saying he needed a long runway to raise money because he isn't personally wealthy. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to win the primary. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Carr's campaign, on Thursday requested an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on whether the loans are legal. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee, or even a leadership committee, which is allowed to coordinate with a candidate committee. Carr's campaign cited a 2022 federal judge's ruling that a leadership committee for Gov. Brian Kemp could not spend money to get Kemp reelected during the Republican primary that year. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen found that the 'unequal campaign finance scheme' violated challenger David Perdue's First Amendment right to free speech. Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said in a statement she was 'not surprised by this weak attempt to get attention — it's exactly what you'd expect from a campaign that's losing steam with many months to go until Election Day.' Tyson suggested that if Jones could make a loan to the leadership committee and then raise unlimited sums to repay himself, he could give the repaid money to his candidate committee to spend in the primary. That would evade Cohen's ban on the use of leadership committee money in the primary. Tyson warned that such laundering would 'wash away contribution limits entirely.' The Ethics Commission must issue an advisory opinion within 60 days under state law. In a related complaint to the commission on Thursday, Tyson alleged that Jones broke state law because his previous financial disclosures didn't show that he had $10 million in cash or securities to be able to afford such large loans. Tyson pointed to a 2022 financial disclosure that showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. The rest was tied up in the value of real estate and Jones' insurance agency, the disclosure stated. Tyson noted that Jones' 2024 disclosure showed he hadn't sold real estate or his business, arguing 'it appears he could not have sufficient liquid assets to loan his leadership committee $10 million.' Ethics complaints can take years to resolve, but Tyson said it was 'imperative' that the commission move quickly to determine the source of the loan, whether it was properly reported and whether Jones planned to spend from his leadership committee in the primary. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
