James Sample is an attorney in the Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. Before joining the Center, he worked on Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s 2004 campaign and clerked for Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to law school, Mr. Sample was an Emmy-award winning sports television producer. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and a B.A. from Boston College. He has published articles in the Columbia Law Review, the ABA’s Judges Journal, Slate, TomPaine and several regional dailies. Although partial to Big Sky country, he lives in Manhattan.

Blog Entries by James Sample

Army Reservist Included in Montana GOP Voter Purge Effort

5 Comments | Posted October 3, 2008 | 05:14 PM (EST)


Former Montana State Representative Kevin Furey (photo) , a First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves, is presently in New Jersey preparing to return to Iraq. The reward for his service? Try disenfranchisement. At least that's what it could be if an error-laden effort by the Montana Republican Party...

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Judicial Campaign Contribution Quid Fails to Produce Quo

Posted December 13, 2007 | 04:53 PM (EST)


The sun may start rising in the west over Wisconsin. Justice Annette Ziegler has recused herself from a case.

As detailed in this space last week, Ziegler has ruled on cases involving a bank that her husband helped to run; has ruled on cases involving a...

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Can $2 Million For A Judge Buy A $350 Million Tax Refund?

Posted December 5, 2007 | 04:35 PM (EST)


Slate's Dahlia Lithwick, writing at GavelGrab, cogently points out that today's Supreme Court oral arguments in the latest rounds of Guantanamo litigation represent the kind of historical marker where it's worth taking note because, in her words, "you're going to want to tell your great grandkids about what happened...

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We're All Going to Die, But What a Football Game

Posted November 21, 2007 | 09:34 PM (EST)


We're all going to die, but what a game Saturday.

Our family consists of Boston College fans -- perpetually tantalized and incompletely realized. This story, however, belongs to fans of any team in any sport. It belongs to all those who have loved both sport and family, and who...

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Clean Money from "Corrupticut" to Congress

Posted October 10, 2007 | 05:21 PM (EST)


Last night, a Republican was the victor in one of the most important political contests of 2007. With apologies to the debaters in Michigan, the contest last night with the most promise for a more accountable democracy was won by Jason Perillo. Perillo, a publicly financed Republican defeated a publicly...

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Restoring Voting Rights: A Progressive Goal Conservatives Can Share

Posted April 3, 2007 | 06:09 PM (EST)


Stating "I believe in my heart that everybody deserves a second chance," Florida's Republican Governor Charlie Crist is hoping to announce this week that Florida will restore voting rights for most people with felony convictions who have completed their criminal sentences. Restoration is a long-overdue reform. Nationally, it...

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