Effort to federalize elections marches on
U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today (3/23/26) in the case of Watson vs. Republican National Committee – a case in which the GOP attempts to overturn a Mississippi law (Michael Watson is that state’s Secretary of State) in which mail-in ballots received within five days after an election and postmarked on or before election day shall be counted. The National GOP following the direction of President Trump’s Executive Order signed March 25, 2025, says “election day” means one day only and ballots not there then should not be counted. This seems small, but it is a piece of a bigger effort to federalize elections – a bad idea. Read the executive order to see what to expect next (spoiler alert: how about a biometric database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security?)
Blotter
Federal Court: On March 18, 2026, a 41-year-old Maryville, Tennessee, man was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his imprisonment, the man will be on supervised release for 30 years and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said as part of a plea agreement, the man agreed to plead guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor for the purposes of an illegal sexual act. He was arrested after he arrived to meet a 9- and 12-year-old whom he had met online. Details here.
The Winston College of Law at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomed Frank Winston Jr. for a special conversation hosted by the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law. Winston reflected on his 35-year career as a complex commercial litigator, shared advice for aspiring lawyers and discussed the lasting legacy of his father, Frank Winston.
In Memoriam
Bill Alley
William Franklin “Bill” Alley Jr. has died at age 81. The Fountain City resident began his legal career in 1974 with Hodges, Doughty & Carson, where he became a partner and served with dedication until his retirement in 2006. He was an accomplished negotiator whose practice centered on civil litigation, including environmental and products liability matters.
After Central High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree, both from the University of Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1967 to 1971, with assignments in various locations, including Vietnam. He continued his military commitment in the Air National Guard, serving until his retirement in 1994 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
A Celebration of Life will take place at Fountain City United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 28, 2026, Doors will open at 3 p.m. to share memories of Bill with family and friends followed by a service in the sanctuary at 3:30 p.m. The full obituary is here.
Notes & Quotes
R.I.P. Robert Mueller, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who led the FBI after the 9/11 attacks. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia and was a federal prosecutor before being appointed by George W. Bush to lead the FBI. An American patriot, first class.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), 87, since 2019, has racked up $111,000 in taxpayer-funded limo rides, per Open the Books, – more than every other member of Congress combined. The limo company is now listed as “defunct” and operates out of a residential apartment building.
Quote: “I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.” ―
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Election day should be just that. Mail in ballots should be cut to a minimum to prevent voter fraud, which is rampant in this Country. Recently, over 300,000 votes were “miscounted” in Fulton County, and most were mail ins. Multiply that by 20, at least; for the other states that are being investigated. And how many Counties? As I said. Rampant. Only people with a legitimate reason (and there aren’t many reasons since everyone can get a free ride to vote, everyone can get time off to vote, and everyone can furnish a valid ID to vote) you should either be military serving abroad, Invalid, or too Ill to make it to the ballot box. And If you aren’t smart enough to get an ID, (you need ID to do most everything) maybe If you aren’t that, you shouldn’t be allowed to mail it in.
Antwan: Don’t have a problem with Election Day being election day with no grace period for late votes. But submit this is the camel’s nose under the tent. Have a big problem with biometric ID maintained by Homeland Security. In fact, the whole Homeland Security Department is one we could do without. It was established after 9/11 to coordinate FBI, CIA, etc. Now it’s got a $1.79 billion budget, several airplanes and its own police force.
Mueller once was an American Patriot, but sadly allowed himself to be influenced by the weaponized DOJ. $$$$Maxine did what? Say it isn’t so! eh eh. John Quincy Adams. Now there was a true American Patriot.
Well, if Mueller was weaponized by the DOJ he was working on his Trump report under Atty Gens. Jeff Sessions and Bob Barr.