Resources for Judges on Election Law and Litigation

The functioning of the U.S. electoral process increasingly comes down to resolving election law disputes in court. These election law cases are extraordinarily important to the democratic process, often concerning fundamental issues such as ballot access, accurate vote counts, and voter challenges. 

Created in 2005 as a joint venture of the National Center for State Courts and the William & Mary Law School, the Election Law Program seeks to provide practical assistance to state court judges called upon to resolve difficult election law disputes. Resources include an Election Law Manual, a Judicial Orders Database, streamable webinars, a resource library, and an online database of state election laws and regulations.

The Program also hosts a symposium addressing a timely election law topic. Past symposia have featured an array of distinguished panelists discussing topics such as judicial campaign finance, redistricting, the role of secretaries of state in managing elections, and "campaigning in the courts" (a panel designed to examine the rising tide of election litigation and campaign strategy).

The Program’s recent work has been generously funded by the following institutional donors: the Democracy Fund, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Advisory Committee

Professor Robert F. Bauer

Professor of Practice and Distinguished Scholar in Residence

Co-Director of the Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic

New York University School of Law

Pamela S. Karlan

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Professor Doug Chapin

Director, Election Research

Fors Marsh Group

Dr. Caroline E. Kirkpatrick

Director of Educational Services, Office of the Executive Secretary

Supreme Court of Virginia

Judd Choate

Director, Division of Elections

Colorado Department of State

Judge Terry P. Lewis (Retired)

Florida 2nd Judicial Circuit Court

Benjamin L. Ginsberg (Retired)

Political Law Partner

Jones Day

Christy McCormick

Commissioner

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Professor Richard L. Hasen

Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science

University of California, Irvine School of Law

Professor Aviel D. Rubin

Professor

Technical Director of the JHU Information Security Institute

Johns Hopkins University

Professor Samuel Issacharoff

Bonnie and Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law

New York University School of Law

John Hardin Young

Of Counsel

Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C.