Category Archives: campaign finance

“Donations Steered to Trump Super PAC by Canadian Are Found to Be Illegal”

April 8, 2022, 2:50 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: A Canadian steel industry billionaire illegally helped steer $1.75 million in donations to a pro-Trump super PAC and has agreed to pay one of the largest fines ever levied by the Federal Election Commission to settle the case, the… Continue reading

“Dissatisfied With Their Party, Wealthy Republican Donors Form Secret Coalitions”

April 6, 2022, 12:59 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: A new coalition of wealthy conservative benefactors that says it aims to “disrupt but advance the Republican agenda” gathered this week for a private summit in South Florida that included closed-door addresses from former President Donald J. Trump and… Continue reading

DNC Settles Suit Over Payment for Research in “Steele Dossier”; One ELB Reader Wonders About DNC Tactics

March 31, 2022, 7:42 amcampaign finance, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Politico: The Federal Election Commission has agreed to a fine of over $100,000 against the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign over an investigation into alleged misreporting of spending related to the now-infamous Steele dossier.The FEC… Continue reading

“Congress gets new spending loophole”

March 31, 2022, 7:29 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Lachlan Markay for Axios: The big picture: Whether or not Ros-Lehtinen’s spending constituted personal use, the FEC’s failure to move forward with an investigation effectively cements a standard that, good government groups warn, opens a huge campaign finance loophole.… Continue reading

Federal District Court Denies Preliminary Injunction in Wisconsin Campaign Finance Disclosure Case

March 28, 2022, 6:44 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

From the opinion: In sum, while the First Amendment interests of WFA and its donors at stake in this case are substantial, WFA has failed to make a showing that it would suffer irreparable harm if its motion for… Continue reading

“Sen. Mitch McConnell has made it his personal mission to keep the dark money spigot open; The GOP’s hypocrisy on donor transparency has been on full display since President Biden announced Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court justice nominee.”

March 27, 2022, 7:12 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Brendan Fischer NBC News oped.

Some recent law student scholarship on election law

March 26, 2022, 6:12 amabsentee ballots, campaign finance, redistrictingDerek Muller

This weekend, I’ll blog about some recent election law scholarship. I thought I’d start by highlighting a few student notes that caught my eye in recent weeks: Kyle Apple (Iowa), Gerrymandering the Presidency: Why Federal District Popular Voting Presents a … Continue reading

“GOP Congressman Jeff Fortenberry Found Guilty in Campaign Finance Case”

March 25, 2022, 6:43 amcampaign finance, legislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

Deanna Paul in the Wall Street Journal: A federal jury in Los Angeles on Thursday found Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry guilty of lying to federal investigators in a bid to conceal illegal campaign contributions he received during a 2016… Continue reading

“Abrams files lawsuit to use fundraising law meant to aid Kemp”

March 23, 2022, 8:59 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking court approval to use a law that gives Republican Gov. Brian Kemp a massive fundraising advantage in his reelection bid this year.The challenge asks the court… Continue reading

Federal judge finds Wyoming’s campaign disclosure and disclaimer requirements violate First Amendment

March 22, 2022, 8:36 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

Order granting in part motion for summary judgment by a Wyoming federal district court in Wyoming Gun Owners v. Buchanon, a case building on Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta (and as applied to the plaintiffs in this case): WyGO… Continue reading

“Ted Cruz’s Latest Troll? Turning His Campaign Into a Super PAC”

March 22, 2022, 8:36 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

Daily Beast investigation: Federal law says candidates can only give other candidates $2,000 per election. But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)—in classic Cruz fashion—may have found a loophole.Last month, Cruz poured a staggering $137,183 into the House campaign for Cassy Garcia,… Continue reading

“Philadelphia judge turned Congressional candidate who accepted rival’s cash suspended”

March 21, 2022, 5:59 pmcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Reuters: A former Philadelphia municipal judge who accepted $90,000 from another candidate to abandon his congressional campaign has been hit with a four-year suspension by Pennsylvania’s high court, according to a new order.The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday… Continue reading

“GOP Dark Money Criticisms in Supreme Court Fight Mirror Democrats”

March 18, 2022, 6:55 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Bloomberg Law: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) brought poster boards to Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s 2020 confirmation hearing highlighting the interconnections among conservative groups like the Judicial Crisis Network and the Federalist Society.Now, Republicans have a chance to turn… Continue reading