Category Archives: campaign finance

“D.C. Circuit Judges Wary of Challenge to Campaign Contribution Limits”

March 29, 2017, 8:26 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: A constitutional challenge to per-election limits on campaign contributions faced skeptical questioning from nearly all the judges of the federal appeals court in Washington during a March 29 hearing. Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of… Continue reading

“CLC, D21 Lawsuit Calling for FEC Enforcement Moves Forward”

March 29, 2017, 1:45 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Release: A federal district court today refused to throw out a lawsuit Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 filed against the Federal Election Commission (FEC). CLC and D21 filed the suit in the United States District Court for the District… Continue reading

“Investigating the ‘Structure’ of Contribution Limits: ‘Elementary, Holmes'”

March 29, 2017, 7:22 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Sherlock Bauer’s latest.

Richard Posner: “The Real Corruption Is the Ownership of Congress by the Rich”

March 28, 2017, 2:50 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Oh my. From Judge Posner’s keynote at a Stigler Center conferece: On the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, Posner said: “If you become a member of Congress, you’ll get a card from the head for your party that you… Continue reading

“Court Allows Challenge to FEC Rule Shielding Nonprofit Donors”

March 27, 2017, 8:22 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: A Federal Election Commission rule on “independent expenditures,” which has allowed millions of dollars’ worth of campaign ads to air without disclosure of the donors funding them, can be challenged in court, a federal judge ruled. The… Continue reading

Sen. Leahy Asked Judge Gorsuch About Apparent Error in His Testimony on Citizens United

March 27, 2017, 1:31 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I explained during the hearing about an apparent error in Judge Gorsuch’s testimony on Citizens United. Senator Leahy has now asked about it, in the written questions to Judge Gorsuch, so we will get a better sense if the… Continue reading

“The Holmes Case: Deceptively Dangerous for Campaign Contribution Limits”

March 27, 2017, 1:23 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Noah Lindell for the CLC Blog: On Wednesday, the full panel of judges at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument in Holmes v. FEC. This is a seemingly minor case that could have major implications… Continue reading

“Williams-Yulee and the Anomaly of Campaign Finance Law”

March 27, 2017, 1:17 pmcampaign finance, judicial elections, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Noah Lindell has written this comment for the Yale Law Journal. A taste: This Comment enters an existing debate over how courts should analyze campaign finance laws and other election regulations. Judges and authors have noted that the Court has… Continue reading

Federal Court Strikes Down Illinois Law Barring Campaign Contributions from Medical Pot Businesses

March 24, 2017, 4:20 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: The Pillar of Law Institute won summary judgment today in the case Ball v. Madigan, striking down an Illinois state law that prohibits medical marijuana cultivation centers and dispensaries from making campaign contributions. Judge John Z. Lee of the… Continue reading

“Could Gorsuch Undo Campaign Finance Disclosure Rules?”

March 23, 2017, 6:28 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: U..S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has observers wondering if he could be a vote to strike down campaign finance disclosure requirements if he winds up with a seat on the high court. Such rules require candidates and… Continue reading

Plutocrats Divided: “Koch Network Spending Millions to Stop GOP Health Care Bill”

March 22, 2017, 8:47 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

AP: The conservative Koch network is promising to spend millions of dollars to defeat the health care overhaul backed by President Donald Trump and top House Republicans. The network’s leading organizations, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, announced late Wednesday… Continue reading

Brad Smith and Robbin Stewart on Hasen on Gorsuch on Campaign Finance

March 22, 2017, 8:39 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Brad Smith (responding to this post) Robbin Stewart (responding to this post)

Will Gorsuch Break With Scalia, Providing 2d (or 3d) Vote To Allow Flood of Undisclosed Money in Elections?

March 22, 2017, 7:49 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

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