Category Archives: campaign finance

“D.C. Circuit Tosses State Republicans’ Challenge of SEC Political Contributions Rule for FINRA Broker-Dealers”

July 1, 2019, 3:46 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Courthouse News: The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied the New York Republican State Committee’s bid to challenge the Securities Exchange Commission’s rule prohibiting broker-dealers acting as “placement agents” from accepting compensation for soliciting government business from… Continue reading

Deborah Hellman: Partisan Gerrymandering and Campaign Finance: An interesting relationship (Rucho symposium)

July 1, 2019, 1:04 pmcampaign finance, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from Deborah Hellman, part of the symposium on Partisan Gerrymandering after Rucho: Last week’s decision in Rucho v. Common Cause rests on the claim that the Supreme Court cannot determine when districting… Continue reading

The Reverse Stormy Daniels: Rep. Duncan Hunter Claims Money Spent on Affairs Mixed Business and Pleasure and Were Campaign Related

June 30, 2019, 6:48 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Brad Heath: Lawyers for Rep. Duncan Hunter say his affairs with three lobbyists and two congressional staffers "often served an overtly political purpose" and suggests he was simply a "married man mixing business with pleasure." pic.twitter.com/aTiu8AJRyw— Brad Heath (@bradheath)… Continue reading

Amicus Brief Cites Evidence that Super PACs Create the Appearance of Quid Pro Quo Corruption in DC Circuit Case Seeking to Overturn SpeechNow (The Case That Gave Us Super PACs)

June 30, 2019, 12:09 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

From the Robertson, Bergstrand, and Winkelman brief in Lieu v. FEC: Plaintiffs-Appellants have asked the Court to reconsider its decision in SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission, 599 F.3d 686 (D.C. Cir. 2010), which gave rise to so-called Super PACs and… Continue reading

“When You Use Campaign Funds To Pay For Your Pet Rabbit’s Trip, You’re Doing It Wrong”

June 27, 2019, 1:11 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ciara Torres Spelliscy for TPM.

“How’s This for a Radical Campaign-Finance Proposal? Follow the Existing Rules.”

June 27, 2019, 1:06 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Eliza Newlin Carney writes.

“Formalism and Realism in Campaign Finance”

June 26, 2019, 8:07 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Jacob Eisler has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Cambridge Law Journal). Here is the abstract: R. v MACKINLAY [2018] UKSC 42, [2018] 3 W.L.R. 556 addressed a narrow question of statutory construction, with implications for two weighty influences upon… Continue reading

“GOP to launch new fundraising site as Dems crush the online money game”

June 24, 2019, 1:05 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico reports.

“Manafort Campaign-Finance Charges Dismissed by Deadlocked FEC”

June 24, 2019, 12:58 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

“Foreign spending in our elections is a threat to our national sovereignty”

June 21, 2019, 9:04 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub with this WaPo oped: Concerns about foreign attempts to intervene in our political system date back to the founding of our republic. As chair of the Federal Election Commission, I am gravely concerned about ongoing… Continue reading

I Testified at House Judiciary Committee on Foreign Interference in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and the Implications of the Mueller Report and President Trump’s Statements Welcoming 2020 Foreign Help

June 20, 2019, 5:37 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

My Written Testimony begins: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to speak about a matter that is among the greatest concerns I have had in twenty-five years of researching and teaching about American election law and… Continue reading

“Trump said it’s OK to take campaign dirt from foreign powers. Is it legal?”

June 20, 2019, 4:20 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

LAT: Does receiving ‘dirt’ on an opponent count?Daniel P. Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University, said he did not believe so.“My view is that an in-kind contribution has to have some determinate economic value,” he said.Brad Smith,… Continue reading