All citizens, regardless of whether they have a felony conviction, should have the freedom to vote.
But felony disenfranchisement laws, which take away someone’s freedom to vote if they have been convicted of a felony, have long been a stain on American democracy.
They proliferated in the United States as an intentional scheme to strip Black...
The freedom to vote is at the core of a strong democracy. But recently, politicians — from state houses to the White House — have tried to limit that freedom, and consequently, weaken our democracy.
State-level documentation laws, the SAVE Act and President Trump's executive order on voting would all have the same effect: making it harder for...
It’s been months since Election Day in 2024, but there is one race that still hasn’t been certified: the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In North Carolina, state Supreme Court justices are elected by the voters. In 2024, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs faced opponent Judge Jefferson Griffin for one of the seven seats on the court. After the votes...
Voting is an essential American freedom; however, an executive order by President Donald Trump is illegally and unconstitutionally threatening that freedom for millions of Americans.
President Trump signed an executive order on March 25, 2025, directing several federal agencies to change the rules for federal elections. This is a clear violation of...
Recently, many former lobbyists have been appointed to important government positions, including leadership in the very agencies they formerly lobbied.
This revolving door of lobbyists in government creates new pathways for wealthy special interests to exert undue influence over our government.
When lobbyists hold some of the most powerful positions...
Corruption is corrosive to our democracy. When leaders abuse their power to benefit themselves and their political allies instead of the people they are elected to serve, people lose faith in the democratic process.
This is why strong, well-enforced legal guardrails are needed to prevent corruption.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration has moved...
The American system of government was designed to include a separation of powers among the three branches of the federal government: Congress, the president and the courts.
These checks and balances are designed to prevent any one branch — including the president — from exceeding their authority beyond what is granted to them by the Constitution.
Pre...
Members of Congress are elected to serve their constituents’ interests. Yet leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives is attempting to effectively shut down the only independent office that can investigate misconduct by members of Congress: the Office of Congressional Conduct (formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics).
The Office of...
Transparency and accountability are fundamental values that promote democracy. Voters have a right to know who is spending money in our elections and influencing politicians, and this information is critical to hold government officials accountable and make informed choices about who should represent them in government.
The Federal Election...
Our democracy works best when everyone can participate in it and when there are as few barriers to participation as possible. But in Montana, HB 892, a state law passed in 2023 erects new, unnecessary barriers to Montanans trying to register to vote and make their voices heard in our democracy — punishing innocent voter behavior — with potential...
Elected officials craft laws that directly impact the lives of Americans. Voters have a right to know lawmakers’ decisions are in the public’s best interest, not for personal financial gain.
Congress (with Campaign Legal Center's support) passed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK Act) in 2012, following more than 10 years of...
This article was originally published as an edition in CLC President and Founder Trevor Potter’s must-read newsletter, “From the Desk of Trevor Potter.” For more in-depth insights and expert analysis like this delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the newsletter here or on LinkedIn.
The Trump administration’s effort to carry out its vision of...
Politicians must answer to their constituents, not wealthy special interests. When outside groups can spend unlimited amounts of money on elections, this opens the door to corruption and gives undue power to deep-pocketed interests looking to sway votes.
Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Citizens United v. FEC, super PACs a...
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 25, 2025, about voting that threatens millions of Americans’ freedom to vote.
The order severely limits access to voting by requiring voters to jump through unnecessary hoops when registering to vote; requiring election officials to use unreliable data sources to remove eligible voters from...
The Voting Rights Act (VRA) prevents racial discrimination in voting, ensuring that all voters can live under fair maps and make their voices heard.
Despite the Supreme Court’s recent reaffirming of the VRA’s role in preventing discrimination in redistricting, anti-voting groups are once again trying to weaken this important law in Louisiana v...
Transparency is at the heart of a healthy democracy: Americans have a right to know who is spending money to influence their vote, and that their government is working for them, not to help special interests.
Without strong, well-enforced transparency laws, the people are left wondering if elected officials’ actions are for the public good or just...
Americans have a right to know that their government is working in their best interest. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests are one of the most important tools the public has to learn about the government’s actions.
Enacted in 1966 and strengthened through post-Watergate scandal reforms, FOIA makes all federal agency records — with limited...
Elon Musk spent roughly $300 million to elect President Donald Trump and has the opportunity to profit from taxpayer dollars at the expense of the American people.
As part of his work with the so-called U.S. DOGE Service, it appears that Musk corrupted decision-making at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and unfairly influenced government...
Ethics experts have been sounding the alarm since before Election Day that wealthy special interests were poised to have an excessive amount of influence on the federal government under a second Donald Trump administration.
After President Trump used an official appearance on the White House lawn to promote Tesla, the car company owned by...
In the United States, the government is designed to ensure that no single branch oversteps its authority or unilaterally undermines the rights of the American people. This system is called "checks and balances."
The three co-equal branches of government — legislative, executive and judicial — have distinct roles to play in ensuring each branch does...
On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, approximately 600 civil rights advocates set out to march to Alabama’s capital, Montgomery, to demand voting rights for Black Americans in the face of discriminatory laws and practices.
At the time, Black voters faced numerous obstacles when trying to register to vote, including literacy tests, poll taxes...