In the days after the 2020 election, as Donald Trump refused to concede, his allies began scrambling for evidence that the election was invalid. Some busied themselves challenging local election laws and trying to disqualify ballots in Democratic areas based on technicalities. Others were already rushing toward fringier conspiracy theories.

One particular conspiracy theory took hold early: “Hammer and scorecard.”

Continue reading “Where Things Stand: One Fox Host Floated A Particularly Wild Conspiracy Theory, Dominion Materials Suggest” →

We’ve already discussed some of the broader issues involved in the ongoing Israeli political crisis. I wanted to expand on one of the more specific ones: precisely what the judicial “reform” package is about and why there’s such resistance to it.

Decades ago, American Democrats and liberals loved the U.S. Supreme Court. That love affair waned over many years before collapsing during the Trump presidency. So from an American context, it can seem a bit odd to Democrats to see Israelis making a big stand on behalf of the Israeli Supreme Court. What’s more, from an American perspective, how the Israeli Supreme Court functions and how its members are chosen can seem pretty weird.

The Israeli Supreme Court is partly a self-perpetuating creature of the judiciary and the legal profession. A board made up of members of the current Court, members of the current government, members of the Knesset (the parliament) and members of the bar association come up with selections which are then chosen by the largely ceremonial president.

Continue reading “When Supreme Courts are Actually Awesome. Sort Of.” →