By Kim Barker and Marian Wang The nation is gearing up for yet another "most expensive election in history," the quadrennial exercise in which mind-numbing amounts of money pour into the political system. But this year promises more than just record spending-more money will be flowing from more players with more opportunities to hide the source. […]
By Amanda Becker Roll Call Staff The federal program providing public money to presidential campaigns is dying. Going into next year’s elections, taxpayer participation is at an all-time low, the funds available are a pittance compared with what candidates can raise themselves, and the only candidates eligible this year […]
Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a brief last Friday with the federal district court in Washington, DC in a lawsuit he filed in April against the Federal Election Commission. The Van Hollen lawsuit challenges as contrary to law an FEC regulation that has eviscerated the existing contribution disclosure requirements for groups that run “electioneering […]
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer By a vote of 6-0, the Federal Election Commission ruled correctly today that federal officeholders and candidates, and national party officials, are prohibited by law from soliciting unlimited contributions for Super PACs, which spend money to influence federal elections. The ruling came in the form of a response […]
The United States Supreme Court now sees its central task as comforting the already comfortable and afflicting those already afflicted. If you are a large corporation or a political candidate backed by lots of private money, be assured that the court’s conservative majority will be there for you, solicitous of your needs and ready to […]
On May 19, 2009, Majority PAC and House Majority PAC, two Super PACs established to raise unlimited contributions and make independent expenditures in support of Senate and House Democratic candidates, submitted an Advisory Opinion (AO) request to the Federal Election Commission. In their request, the two pro-Democratic PACs asked the FEC for an advisory […]
The Supreme Court today denied a request for the Court to review the decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Green Party v. Lenge that upheld the constitutionality of the provisions of the Connecticut public financing law for the financing of minor party candidates. This is an important victory for the people of […]
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer In another seriously misguided campaign finance decision, the Supreme Court today by a 5 to 4 vote has misinterpreted the Constitution to hold unconstitutional a form of public financing of elections enacted by the voters of Arizona to prevent government corruption. The Court in Arizona Free Enterprise v. […]
Today, a federal district court judge in Alexandria,Virginia reaffirmed an opinion he issued on May 26, 2011 that held unconstitutional the 100 year old ban on corporate contributions to federal candidates. In so doing, the judge, in essence, overruled an existing Supreme Court decision issued less than a decade ago in FEC v. Beaumont, which […]
Today, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) clearly outlining that it is illegal for federal officeholders and candidates to solicit unlimited contributions for Super PACs. The comments address Advisory Opinion Request (AOR) 2011-12 submitted on behalf of Majority PAC and House Majority PAC asking the Commission’s […]
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