Joshua Spivak

June 25, 2024 | The Recorder

The problems that Oakland and the county are facing were foreseeable when the legislature upended local recall procedures. Either way, this mayoral carousel should inspire Oakland and other charter cities and counties to rethink their recall laws.

By Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo

6 minute read

April 23, 2024 | The Recorder

"Rather than making a clear choice between the charter or the state rules, the county clerk used both," write Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law.

By Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo

6 minute read

November 27, 2023 | The Recorder

A proposal seeking to change Alameda County's recall law, linking recall procedure to state law may. might create rather than solve problems, dilute the local electorate's direct democracy powers, and cede local control to the state, according to Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo of Berkeley Law's California Constitution Center.

By Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo

6 minute read

August 10, 2023 | The Recorder

Officials targeted with a recall, the most personal of the direct democracy devices, are unsurprisingly unhappy about having to defend against it. But voters should not be fooled when their targets complain about risks to democracy, according to Joshua Spivak and David Carrillo of Berkeley Law's California Constitution Center.

By Joshua Spivak and David A. Carrillo

5 minute read

September 01, 2022 | The Recorder

The legislature is trying to say "look, we did reform the recall," but what this really means is "sucks to be you, general law cities," say Stephen M. Duvernay and Joshua Spivak of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law.

By Stephen M. Duvernay and Joshua Spivak

5 minute read

March 23, 2021 | The Recorder

Recall efforts against Los Angeles' George Gascon and San Francisco's Chesa Boudin illustrate that recalls can get attention. But the history of recalls against district attorneys and attorneys general show that getting on the ballot is another story entirely.

By Joshua Spivak

5 minute read

July 16, 2020 | Daily Report Online

There is a reason Georgia has barely used the recall, and it is not due to a better class of politicians than other states.

By Joshua Spivak

5 minute read

April 30, 2018 | Litigation Daily

Historically, there has been an aversion to recalling judges. That may be changing.

By Joshua Spivak

6 minute read

February 07, 2005 | National Law Journal

Focusing on some of Thomas Jefferson's more questionable acts, Joseph Wheelan launches a full-out assault on the nation's third president in his new book.

By Joshua Spivak

9 minute read

March 07, 2005 | National Law Journal

The nomination of federal judges has become one of the most controversial of all presidential acts. No spending bill, tax cut proposal or even act of war seems to raise congressional tempers so quickly to a boil—and provide red meat to partisan ideologues and fund-raisers alike—as when the president sends a high-profile name down to Congress for an appointment to the bench.

By Joshua Spivak Special to The National Law Journal

5 minute read