Category Archives: campaign finance

“LISTEN: Billionaire Charles Koch Says He’s Behind On Political Spending”

January 26, 2016, 7:51 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Delusional Charles Koch on NPR: Charles Koch says he’s not really spending all that much on politics. As one of the billionaire Koch brothers, Koch has made massive infusions of money to political causes — some of it in… Continue reading

“Constitution Check: Is there a basic flaw in campaign finance law?”

January 26, 2016, 7:42 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Lyle Denniston at the National Constitution Center.

“The ‘Access’ Issue”

January 26, 2016, 7:33 ambribery, campaign financeRick Hasen

Bauer: One line of argument in the McDonnell case briefing accepts that supporters might expect some preferential treatment—“procedural access,” like a meeting—but not official influence to carry the supporter’s case on the merits. This is one way that routine… Continue reading

“Buckley v. Valeo at 40”

January 26, 2016, 7:32 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Paul Jossey in The Hill: The Buckley legacy is mixed. It nurtured the wide-open continuous political dialogue that currently exists from airwaves to Internet. But it did so in a way that forced some of that discussion underground, criminalized political… Continue reading

“Zephyr Teachout Says She’s Running for Congress”

January 25, 2016, 9:08 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, election law bizRick Hasen

NY Observer: Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham University law professor and former gubernatorial candidate, announced this afternoon she is running for Congress in the Hudson Valley. Ms. Teachout, who rose to prominence after she unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo in… Continue reading

“Ben & Jerry’s founder unveils new ‘Bernie’s Yearning’ ice cream flavor”

January 25, 2016, 9:22 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Supporters of Bernie Sanders could soon sample the sweet taste of victory, not only in Iowa and New Hampshire, but also from a pint from one of Vermont’s most famous ice-cream makers, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s.… Continue reading

“Some Republican candidates spend big on ads, with little to show for it”

January 25, 2016, 9:02 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

LA Times: In this strange primary season, there is little relationship between money spent on ads and poll numbers for candidates, at least on the Republican side. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, the top two… Continue reading

“Bloomberg, Sensing an Opening, Revisits a Potential White House Run”

January 23, 2016, 4:27 pmballot access, campaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Michael R. Bloomberg has instructed advisers to draw up plans for a potential independent campaign in this year’s presidential race. His advisers and associates said he was galled by Donald J. Trump’s dominance of the Republican field, and… Continue reading

“Michigan Progressives Find Their Inner Citizens United”

January 23, 2016, 4:16 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Steve Klein oped in the Detroit News: Gov. Rick Snyder signed a comprehensive campaign finance bill into law on Jan. 6, Senate Bill 571. It generated quite the clamor, including accusations that the bill includes a “gag order” against public… Continue reading

“Politicians Sue Colorado Mom into Silence Over Newspaper Ads”

January 22, 2016, 3:06 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: On January 21, 2016, a concerned Colorado citizen joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a federal lawsuit against the Colorado secretary of state, seeking to ensure that anyone in Colorado can speak freely about the… Continue reading

“Campaign Finance and the Ecology of Democratic Speech”

January 22, 2016, 11:32 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Michael Kent Curtis and Eugene Mazo have posted this draft on SSRN (Kentucky Law Journal). Here is the abstract: This article deals with several campaign finance decisions of the Roberts Court and tries to place them in a much larger… Continue reading

“How the Supreme Court can change politics as usual”

January 22, 2016, 9:50 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Jeff Bellin WaPo oped: The Supreme Court does not take many cases, but it was right to agree last week to review the public-corruption convictions of former Virginia governorRobert F. McDonnell . While the conduct that led to… Continue reading

“Sheldon Silver’s Lawyers Seek Acquittal or Retrial in Corruption Case”

January 22, 2016, 9:39 ambribery, campaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Lawyers for Sheldon Silver, the former New York State Assembly speaker convicted of federal corruption charges, asked a judge on Thursday to acquit their client or grant him a new trial, arguing that “no rational juror” could find… Continue reading