“Brett Kavanaugh, Who Has Ruled Against Campaign Finance Regulations, Could Bring an Avalanche of Big Money to Elections”
Lee Fang for The Intercept.
Category Archives: campaign finance
“Inside John Bolton Super PAC’s deal with Cambridge Analytica”
CPI:
John Bolton needed billionaire Robert Mercer’s attention and support — so badly, Bolton spent more than $1 million of his John Bolton Super PAC’s money on “comically bad” data from Mercer’s now-defunct voter profiling firm, Cambridge Analytica… Continue reading
“Donald Trump continues to build 2020 re-election war chest”
CPI: “Trump’s campaign ended June with more than $33 million cash on hand — almost three times the size of its reserve from June 2017, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission.”
Update: More on the… Continue reading
“Kavanaugh and Campaign Finance: Republican National Committee v. Federal Election Commission”
Charles Davis on SCOTUSBlog:
Kavanaugh’s opinion showed hostility towards the Supreme Court’s views in McConnell. It questioned the theory that these [soft money] limits could be justified simply by the close connection between political parties and candidates or officeholders,… Continue reading
“The Mystery Firm That Became the NRA’s Top Election Consultant”
Politico on the NRA’s payments to the consulting firm Starboard Strategic:
It was not unusual for the NRA to spend large sums of cash in an election cycle. What was odd was where the money was going. Before 2013, Starboard… Continue reading
Judge Kavanaugh on Free Speech and Campaign Finance
Ken White writes that Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions “are consistent with the Supreme Court’s strong protection of free speech rights this century,” and that he has “voted to strike down campaign financing laws and regulations under the First Amendment.” Jonathan Adler… Continue reading
“Secret money funds more than 40% of outside congressional ads”
USA Today on TV spending by groups that don’t disclose their donors in the current congressional election cycle.
“Five years ago, the FEC’s top lawyer resigned. No permanent replacement has yet been named.”
On Kavanaugh and Campaign Finance (and Allowing Foreign Interference in Our Elections): Methinks the Bopp Doth Protest Too Much
The National Law Journal has an interesting article on Jim Bopp sending a letter to President Trump and VP Pence arguing against Judge Brett Kavanaugh for SCOTUS on grounds that he’s not deregulatory enough when it comes to campaign finance… Continue reading
“When Political Spending and Core Values Conflict”
“How Justice Kennedy’s Successor Will Wreak Havoc on Voting Rights and American Democracy”
I have written this piece for Slate. It begins:
Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement from the Supreme Court last week, was certainly the “swing justice” in key cases on major issues from abortion to gay rights. But when… Continue reading
“Supreme Court Defeat for Unions Upends a Liberal Money Base”
NYT:
The Supreme Court decision striking down mandatory union fees for government workers was not only a blow to unions. It will also hit hard at a vast network of groups dedicated to advancing liberal policies and candidates.
Some of… Continue reading
Today’s Must-Read: Adam Liptak’s “How Conservatives Weaponized the First Amendment”
NYT:
On the final day of the Supreme Court term last week, Justice Elena Kagan sounded an alarm.
The court’s five conservative members, citing the First Amendment, had just dealt public unions a devastating blow. The day before, the… Continue reading