Category Archives: campaign finance
Will Gorsuch Break With Scalia, Providing 2d (or 3d) Vote To Allow Flood of Undisclosed Money in Elections?
The Supreme Court has long upheld the constitutionality of requiring disclosure of the money behind elections, lobbying, and many political activities. In the 1976 Buckley v. Valeo case, the Court held that such disclosure, while implicating First Amendment rights, served… Continue reading
“Watch Sen. Whitehouse Grill Gorsuch About Dark Money, Corporate Power, and Citizens United”
Slate with the video.
Judge Gorsuch Misstates Citizens United’s Holding, and Inexplicably Says Congress Has Ample Room to Enact Expenditure Limits
From an exchange with Sen. Leahy at today’s hearing:
Judge Gorsuch, questioned on Citizens United, said the following (my transcription):
I think there is lots of room for legislation in this area that this court has left. The Court indicated… Continue reading
“Senators must press Gorsuch on campaign finance laws”
“Beyond Corruption Symposium: New Approaches to Money in Politics”
Allie Boldt for Demos:
Today the Election Law Journal published Beyond Corruption, a peer-reviewed symposium on money in politics and the Supreme Court. The symposium was guest-edited by Professor David Schultz and contains pieces by several Demos attorneys, including… Continue reading
“Does the First Amendment Protect Trump’s Travel Ban?”
I have written this piece for Slate. It begins:
Late Friday afternoon, when few were paying attention, one of the smartest judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals went out of his way to throw Donald Trump a… Continue reading
“Why Gorsuch could lead court in wrong direction”
Re-upping my CNN Opinion piece with the Gorsuch hearings beginning:
Unfortunately, this approach obscures the fact that keeping the steady course with a conservative replacement for Scalia will be bad enough across a range of topics important to many Americans,… Continue reading
“The important money-in-politics questions to ask Judge Gorsuch”
Trevor Potter oped for The Hill.
“The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency”
Must-read Jane Mayer on Robert Mercer for The New Yorker:
Mercer strongly supported the nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Trump’s Attorney General. Many civil-rights groups opposed the nomination, pointing out that Sessions has in the past expressed racist views.… Continue reading
“Law and Opinion in the de Blasio Investigation”
“Defining ‘dark money’ and discussing the state of money, politics and ethics in Missouri”
St. Louis Public Radio:
Earlier this month, the spotlight was cast on the brand new nonprofit called A New Missouri Inc. Formed by Gov. Eric Greitens’ campaign treasurer, the group’s focus will be to advocate for the governor’s policy agenda.… Continue reading
Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman with the Exchange of the Day
News from a federal court in Houston:
According to the complaint, in 2011 Stockman set up a non-profit called Life Without Limits in Las Vegas. A single contributor donated $350,000 to the charity, which Stockman then allegedly funneled back to… Continue reading
“White House Official May Have Violated Campaign Finance Laws”
Mother Jones:
top White House national security official may have violated federal law by using campaign funds for personal business, campaign finance experts tell Mother Jones.
K.T. McFarland—who currently serves as President Donald Trump’s deputy national security adviser—appears to have… Continue reading