Podcast appearances and mentions of thomas hofeller

GOP gerrymandering guru Thomas Hofeller died in 2018. His daughter Stephanie just released 70,000 files that detail his successful voter suppression efforts. Here is what these disclosures show and what they mean for US democracy.

This week's episode breaks down the 357-page state court gerrymandering decision in North Carolina striking down that state's legislative districts. We explain in depth exactly what happened -- and exactly why cases like there are the future for political gerrymandering claims in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Rucho v. Common Cause. We begin, however, with a couple of Andrew Was Wrong segments, including a sad update on Gavin Grimm as well as feedback from the entire state of Idaho! Then, it's time for a deep dive into the recent ruling in North Carolina, which includes an analysis of both the facts -- featuring "Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites" Dr. Evil stand-in Thomas Hofeller -- and the law. If political gerrymandering is now perfectly okay by the U.S. Supreme Court, what can we do? Listen and find out! After that, it's time for a brief Yodel Mountain update regarding Don McGahn, as well as a Jeffrey Epstein update. And then it's time for #T3BE on the formation of contract: when, exactly, does a contract to buy a truck get made? You won't want to miss this one. Appearances None! If you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links We last discussed Gavin Grimm's case in Episode 306. Click here to check out the populations of the various states, including Idaho. This is the North Carolina gerrymandering opinion. -Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/law -Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs -Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/, and don’t forget the OA Facebook Community! -For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki, which now has its own Twitter feed!  @oawiki -And finally, remember that you can email us at openarguments@gmail.com!

Today's rapid response episode breaks down the latest decisions from the Roberts court, including the ostensible "win" in Dep't of Commerce v. Ross (the citizenship question case), and the crushing loss in Rucho v. Common Cause (the gerrymandering cases). Oh, and along the way we'll also discuss the opioid crisis and the news that Robert Mueller will testify before the House Judiciary Committee. It's going to be a long and wild ride, so strap in! We begin by taking a quick trip to Yodel Mountain to discuss the significance and substance of the Congressional subpoena issued to Robert Mueller. What does it all mean? Listen and find out! Then, it's time to break down the theory and developments in State of Oklahoma v. Purdue Pharma, et al., CJ-2017-816, the case that's at the forefront of the efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for their role in causing the opioid crisis in this country. Find out what a "public nuisance" is, whether manufacturing and selling opioids is one, why this case is important, and much, much more! After all that, it's time for the main event: breaking down the Supreme Court's decisions in Ross and Rucho. Find out why Andrew thinks that John Roberts wrote the Ross opinion going the other way until the evidence broke regarding Thomas Hofeller, and how that means the entirety of the new game is: Shame Justice Roberts. (Oh, and also you'll learn along the way that our democracy is screwed.) After all that, it's time for an all-new, all-awesome Thomas Takes The Bar Exam about strict liability and de-fanged venomous snakes. What madness transpires? Listen and find out, and then play along with #TTTBE on social media! Appearances Andrew will be a guest at the Mueller She Wrote live show in Philadelphia, PA on July 17, 2019; click that link to buy tickets, and come up and say hi! And remember: if you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show (or at your live show!), drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links You can read the Court's opinion in Dep't of Commerce v. Ross (the citizenship question case) as well as Rucho v. Common Cause (the gerrymandering case). Click here to read the Complaint in State of Oklahoma v. Purdue Pharma, et al., CJ-2017-816. Finally, you can check out the Los Angeles Times article on Purdue Pharma we referenced on the show as well as click here for more information on the MDL litigation pending before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster. -Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/law -Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs -Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/, and don’t forget the OA Facebook Community! -For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki, which now has its own Twitter feed!  @oawiki -And finally, remember that you can email us at openarguments@gmail.com!

Today's episode takes a deep dive into recent developments following the death of Republican operative Thomas Hofeller -- the architect of the REDMAP -- that may impact the census question case currently pending before the Supreme Court, Department of Commerce v. New York. First, however, we begin with an Andrew Was Wrong about the 2006 midterm elections and the Pension Protection Act. That was, in fact, a Democratic wave year -- but the PPA was passed in August, nearly five months before that new Democratic congress was seated. Oops. Then it's time to delve into the strange files of Thomas Hofeller, the architect of REDMAP -- you know, the gerrymandering strategy and software that turned Republican minorities into majorities in states like Wisconsin and tiny Republican majorities into one-sided dominance in states like North Carolina. Want to know his plan for helping "Non-Hispanic Whites?" Of course you do! We break down exactly how this development may affect Dep't of Commerce v. New York, which has already been briefed and argued before the Supreme Court, and the interesting strategy that the respondents used to make SCOTUS aware of what Hofeller was up to. After all that, it's time for the answer to Thomas (and the Entire Puzzle in a Thunderstorm Crew) Takes the Bar Exam #129 involving comparative negligence, joint and several liability, and intra-family liability in connection with a car accident. Did you get it right? Remember you can play along every Friday by sharing our show on social media using the hashtag #TTTBE. Appearances Andrew was just a guest on Episode 98 of the Skepticrat breaking down everyone's second-favorite Democratic 2020 Presidential contenders; you won't want to miss it! And if you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links We first covered the citizenship question on Episode 232 You can access the briefs filed in Department of Commerce v. New York: Here This is the letter filed by respondents and copied to the Supreme Court setting forth the new evidence relating to Hofeller. And, in the interests of balance, here's the response filed by the government. And finally, here's the ruling and scheduling order from Judge Furman in the District Court case (No. 18-2921) setting forth the time to brief and seek discovery regarding potential sanctions on the government witnesses. -Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs -Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/, and don't forget the OA Facebook Community! -For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki, which now has its own Twitter feed!  @oawiki -And finally, remember that you can email us at openarguments@gmail.com!

Robert Mueller speaks! He must have been listening to our special Tuesday edition of the podcast this week. Mueller basically made is crystal clear that the ball is in the hands of the Democratic Party majority in the House. Impeachment is the Constitutionally available next step. But that will require the Democrats to actually exercise their power - not something they have a recent history of doing. Black voters in Philadelphia and around the country begin to make demands on House members to move forward with impeachment, according to a New York Times article published yesterday. As 60-year-old Philadelphia florist shop owner Paulette Beale-Harris put it, “It’s time for Congress to do something. It’s time for them to stop being afraid to do what has to be done for the country.” Apparently, Bernie Sanders finally heard the message, too. Speaking at a town hall in Nevada, Sanders explicitly called for impeachment hearings to begin. Nancy Pelosi and Jerry Nadler, the Chair of the Judiciary Committee who would need to call for an impeachment inquiry, are still messaging “all options are still on the table.” We’ll talk a bit about Democrats fear of their own power.   Huge developments in Supreme Court case about Trump administration’s move to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census. It probably won’t be too much of a surprise to you that the real reason for the question was to dilute the Hispanic vote and give more weight to white voters. But now, thanks to the estranged daughter of the GOP’s “Michelangelo of gerrymandering,” Thomas Hofeller, there is documentary proof. Not only may this affect the Supreme Court case, but we may have more proof of Trump administration officials lying to Congress. Louisiana passes radical “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban, becoming the latest addition to the right-wing moves to bring a case against Roe v. Wade to the Supreme Court. The state’s Democratic Governor, John Bel Edwards, says he’ll be thrilled to sign it. After Missouri’s Republican Governor signed that state’s extreme abortion ban into law last week, the state’s last remaining clinic offering abortion may be shut down today. That depends on the outcome Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit currently before a judge. It’s not clear when the judge will issue a ruling. Supreme Court takes a pass on Indiana’s extreme anti-abortion bill that would have banned abortion motivated by race, gender, or disability such as Down syndrome. We’re sure that Mike Turzai is throwing a hissy fit right about now. The Midwest continues to be ravaged by massive floods, tornados, and severe weather in a picture of our climate future. Even USA Today is headlining articles about the relationship between severe weather and climate change after this week’s weather. U.S. Department of Energy decides to change the image of oil and gas. No longer fossil fuels; now it’s “freedom gas” and “molecules of freedom.” Can’t make this shit up. The Department of Energy was promoting the expansion of liquified natural gas at a Texas facility. Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg, said he was "pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported to the world." The Sunrise Movement calls for mass protests this summer at the second Democratic debate in Detroit. The Sunrise Movement hopes to mobilize tens of thousands of young people to travel time Detroit for the July 30th debate to pressure Democratic presidential candidates to make 2020 a referendum on climate action. The UK-based Extinction Rebellion is planning to shut down Heathrow Airport with drones and road closures to demand immediate climate action and to stop the construction of yet another runway at the nation’s busiest airport. California Assembly passes a bill to reclassify Uber drivers and other “gig economy” workers as actual employees, not independent contractors. If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, it will represent the first major push back to the gig economy. New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern announces the world’s first “wellbeing budget.” The new budget will shift priorities away from “growth” to the wellbeing of the most vulnerable and New Zealand society as a whole. Mitch McConnell still an asshole. Pennsylvania saw days of severe weather, including multiple tornados and significant flooding over the past few days. Pennsylvania averages about 17 tornados a year, but this year we are already up to at least 22. Harrisburg Teachers, who have been working without a contract or a raise for over a year, were set to go on a one-day strike today because of how the administration was trying to use the district’s recovery plan to force a bad contract onto the union.  The teachers’ strike threat had overwhelming support from the community and it forced the administration to withdraw those plans and brought them back to the bargaining table. The things you learn working the polls for a local school board election. Kevin worked the polls for the Pennridge school board elections last week and now has more questions about what the hell is going on around here. Remember those Proud Boys and alt-right activists from the Sports, Beer, and Politics?  Well, they’re now getting involved in local Philadelphia politics. Vico Bertogli made is a Republican nominee for the Abington School Board and Charles Matthis, a Philly GOP Committee person who provided security for these rallies is running the campaign for Philadelphia Republican At-Large candidate Matt Wolfe.   The main news out of Japan this week was the White House ordering the Navy to cover John McCain’s name on the destroyer named for him and his father ahead of Trump’s visit. So, you might have missed the fact that the U.S. will now partner with Japan in landing humans back on the moon and establishing a permanent presence. Japanese companies have ramped up their play to be major players in the commercial space sector, including developing commercial lunar landers. Lego is releasing a special 1087 piece model of the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander tomorrow. The release is Lego’s way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first humans to visit the moon. One giant step. Two big releases at Free Will Brewing tomorrow. Double Race Against Time - brewed in collaboration with our friends at Chatty Monks Brewing this Double IPA was made with oats, oranges, vanilla, and milk sugar. 8.5% ABV Saison 1387. It’s a collaboration with Platform Beer Co. Filled with peach aromatics, and tasting notes of pineapple and lemon custard, with a dry and refreshing finish. 6.3% ABV And a new documentary focusing on PA’s craft brewing industry was released this week. “Poured in PA,” is a two-year journey two visiting more than 50 Pennsylvania breweries. The film is a production of Harrisburg-based GK visual and you can stream it now on Amazon Prime, even if Dick Yuengling is in the film.