About the SPLC Prosecution
Sorting out the strong, the weak, and the downright ridiculous in the Trump Administration’s case against the Southern Poverty Law Center
Walter Olson
Writer and author, especially on legal subjects. Cato Institute, election law, and Maryland civic stuff.
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Latest posts
New Jersey’s Voter Registration Debacle
It’s not the proof of vote-”rigging” some in MAGA think, but it is a warning to states that have neglected poorly designed voter intake systems and lazily tended rolls.
Dear Annapolis: Don't Re-Gerrymander Our State
Not long ago, my own state of Maryland had the worst House gerrymander in the country. Some want to go back.
On voting, Trump and Mullin are laying dangerous groundwork
The DHS secretary threatens prison for state and local election officials who ignore White House demands to purge voter rolls -- even though the feds have no such clear authority.
Defend philanthropy. Defend the non-profit model
The Trump White House has intensified what were already growing attacks on foundations and the non-profit sector. Countering that will call for solidarity across left-right lines.
The most corrupt act ever taken by an American president?
Trump's reparations fund to reward January 6ers and others prosecuted in his name is not "just like" things his predecessors did.
Some early Kurosawa
I also write about old films sometimes.
Maryland needs clean, up-to-date voter rolls
The state should adopt best practices even as it rejects Trump's demands
It's still a mystery just how the Save America Act would work. That's on purpose.
The hotly contested voting bill would empower an obscure federal agency to issue "guidance" on how states carry out its mandates. That's a lot of power ripe for misuse.
A much needed win on tariffs
The Supreme Court didn't get us out of the woods -- Congress needs to step up on that -- but it did vindicate the rule of law for once against our aspiring Caesar.