The Roundtable
Welcome to the Roundtable, a forum for incisive commentary and analysis
on cases and developments in law and the legal system.
on cases and developments in law and the legal system.
By Katie Kaufman
Katie Kaufman is a sophomore at Bowdoin College studying Government and Legal Studies. On Wednesday October 8th, the Supreme Court blocked a ruling to uphold two components of North Carolina voting law—a ban on same-day voter registration and out-of-precinct voting. This ruling blocked an October 1st decision to overturn the law by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and was reversed in favor of the state of North Carolina. [1] Supporters of increased voting restrictions in North Carolina argued that a late change would stir confusion among voters. [2] Civil rights groups and voters were concerned the current voting law indiscriminately targeted black voters, who statistically use same-day registration more than whites. In 2010, over 21,000 voters registered to vote on Election Day. This past May, due to the change in election law, over 400 votes were not counted in election primaries. [3]
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 By Katie Kaufman
Katie Kaufman is a sophomore at Bowdoin College studying Government and Legal Studies. A lawsuit by Citizens United, the conservative lobbying group of the landmark Supreme Court case in 2010, has revived the debate surrounding the transparency of campaign contributions. The state of Colorado is requiring Citizens United to publically disclose contributors to its new attack documentary, Rocky Mountain Heist. According to Colorado’s state constitution, published media involving political candidates must be accompanied by submitted campaign finance reports, which essentially requires groups to disclose the source of financial contributors. [1] Theodore B. Olson, a lawyer for Citizens United, argues the “First Amendment prohibits the government from discriminating among speakers based on their status, viewpoint, identity, or message.” According to Citizens United, this law violates the First Amendment because it requires “disclosures based on the speaker’s identity.” According to this Colorado law, the press is exempt from such disclosures. Citizens United wants either be given this press exemption or the exemption to be removed completely. [2] |
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