Category Archives: campaign finance

Shareholder Resolutions on Political Spending

July 10, 2022, 7:27 amcampaign finance, lobbyingDan Tokaji

Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance has this post, based on information from Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc., on shareholder resolutions regarding corporate political spending during the 2022 proxy season: More shareholder resolutions were filed in the 2022 proxy… Continue reading

“Questions arise over Warnock’s use of campaign funds to fight lawsuit”

July 7, 2022, 4:33 amcampaign financeDan Tokaji

Politico reports: “Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) used campaign money to cover legal expenses for a lawsuit relating to his time as a church minister — transactions that raise questions about whether the spending runs afoul of federal rules governing… Continue reading

Ninth Circuit Holds Montana Disclosure Law Unconstitutionally Vague, as Applied

July 6, 2022, 4:29 pmcampaign financeDan Tokaji

The majority and dissenting opinions in Butcher v. Knudsen are here. From Judge Bress’s opinion for the majority (joined by Judge Ikuta): Two retirees, Ed Butcher and Lonny Bergstrom, operate a website that tracks the voting records of Republican… Continue reading

“The insurrectionists’ clubhouse: Former Trump aides find a home at a little-known MAGA hub”

July 6, 2022, 7:59 amcampaign finance, election subversion riskDan Tokaji

Grid: Founded in 2017, [the Conservative Partnership Institute] is little-known outside Trump circles, yet it has quickly become among the most powerful political messaging forces in the MAGA universe. The group did not respond to questions submitted by Grid… Continue reading

“Texas GOP donors urge Congress to act on gun control measures”

June 5, 2022, 5:35 amcampaign finance, legislation and legislaturesDonors, governance, policy responsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

In a full-page ad in the Dallas Morning News, “Major Republican donors, including some who have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, joined other conservative Texans in signing an open letter supporting congressional action to increase gun restrictions in… Continue reading

Uvalde, an unlikely opportunity for responsiveness to public sentiment

May 30, 2022, 5:05 amcampaign finance, legislation and legislaturespolicy responsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

Public support for gun control, including regulating access to assault-style weapons, is currently extraordinarily high. But will Congress act? It would take ten Republican Senators to break. The odds are not good. And if they did, federal legislation… Continue reading

Following Supreme Court Decision in Thompson v. Hebdon, Alaska Has Gone from the State with One of the Lowest Campaign Contribution Limits to Unlimited Donations–and So Far the Legislature Won’t Fix It

May 22, 2022, 3:59 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Anchorage Daily News with the tick-tock and questions about whether the Governor, who may benefit from large donations, helped to scuttle a legislative deal.

FEC Deadlocks, Again

May 16, 2022, 4:14 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission2020 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Dave Levinthal and C. Ryan Barber at Business Insider report that the Federal Election Commission has deadlocked over a “complaint that Donald Trump’s 2020 White House campaign laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through corporate entities closely tied… Continue reading

Breaking and Analysis: Dividing on Ideological Lines and Breaking Little New Ground in FEC v. Cruz, Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Part of McCain-Feingold law

May 16, 2022, 7:49 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The result and lineup in today’s Supreme Court decision in FEC v. Cruz is no surprise: all the conservatives on the Court signed onto Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion holding that a loan repayment provision of the McCain-Feingold law is unconstitutional;… Continue reading

Coordinating Publicly to Get Around Campaign Finance Laws–2022 cycle

May 16, 2022, 5:44 amcampaign finance2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Shane Goldmacher at N.Y. Times reports on the “Little Red Boxes” appearing on many Democratic primary candidates’ websites to direct their Super PACs’ messaging strategies. The basic principle is not new, but the details are interesting. Republicans this… Continue reading

“Primaries spotlight coming battles over state supreme courts”

May 16, 2022, 5:13 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

AP News “[A]cross the country this year, . . . state judicial races become increasingly politicized over issues such as partisan gerrymandering, abortion and gun rights. Voters in 32 states this year will cast ballots on state supreme court seats,… Continue reading

Eighth Circuit panel finds no threat of enforcement of certain provisions of the Minnesota Fair Campaign Practices Act

May 10, 2022, 9:23 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

From the summary of the decision in Minnesota RFL Caucus v. Freeman: The relevant section of the Minnesota Fair Campaign Practices Act – Minn. Stat. Sec. 211B.02 – prohibits a candidate from falsely stating that a candidate or ballot… Continue reading

“Super PAC and its President Plead Guilty to Dark Money Scheme to File False Reports with the FEC”

May 5, 2022, 3:20 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

DOJ Release: A Super PAC and its president pleaded guilty today to scheming to lie to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about the true identities of donors.According to court documents, Joseph Fuentes-Fernandez, 62, of Arlington, Virginia, and the Super… Continue reading

Breaking: Supreme Court, with No Noted Dissents, Turns Down Major Petition on Whether Corporations Have a Constitutional Right to Make Contributions Directly to Candidates

May 2, 2022, 6:35 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Once again, the Supreme Court has turned down the chance to consider the constitutionality of laws limiting direct campaign contributions to candidates. The Court upheld such limits in Beaumont v. FEC but it has been under sustained attack since Citizens… Continue reading