Moves by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-W.I.) and others in his state to undermine a bipartisan elections agency and threaten its members with legal action are part of a concerning and ongoing trend that, if left unchecked, stands to sabotage the American electoral process.
In recent months, partisan attempts to undermine legitimate and fair American...
Campaign Legal Center (CLC), joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Common Cause and Democracy 21, filed an amicus brief in the case Federal Election Commission (FEC) v. Ted Cruz for Senate.
The brief, filed on Nov. 22, 2021, defends a law that prevents potential corruption from arising when politicians make large...
A federal court temporarily blocked certain anti-voter provisions in the Kansas law H.B. 2332 on Nov. 19, 2021. The court ruled that the challenged parts of H.B. 2332 likely violate the First Amendment rights of nonpartisan organizations to engage in political speech by restricting their ability to distribute mail ballot applications to voters to...
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the agency tasked with investigating violations of and enforcing the Hatch Act, made major waves last week after releasing a report detailing widespread violations by 13 members of the Trump administration.
The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain partisan political activities. Its...
Whatever our color, background or zip code, in America we value our freedom. The freedom to have a say in the key decisions that impact our lives — from health care to education to job creation.
To make our voices heard when our representatives decide on these matters, we need a democracy that works for and includes us all, but with less than a...
There has been lots of analysis of last week’s election results in the Virginia governor’s race, but one takeaway from the Virginia results is hugely important and deserves more attention — with potentially groundbreaking ramifications for democracy.
Virginia Republicans won in an environment with historically large voter turnout and new pro-voter...
No matter our race, background or zip code most of us believe that for democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all.
This week was a disappointing one on Capitol Hill for Americans’ freedom to vote and for this principle. On Nov. 3, 2021, the Senate failed to advance S. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to debate.
Wi...
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released a new decision this week, highlighting a longstanding loophole in federal law that allows foreign interests to meddle in state and local ballot measure elections.
In 2018, Montanans voted on a ballot measure to introduce new requirements for mining companies to reduce water pollution. In the lead up...
Campaign Legal Center Action (CLCA), on behalf of the gun safety organization Giffords, filed suit against two National Rifle Association (NRA) affiliates, Josh Hawley for Senate and Matt Rosendale for Montana for violating federal campaign finance laws.
The suit details how the NRA illegally and surreptitiously contributed up to $35 million to...
Across the country, state governments and redistricting commissions are redrawing voting maps that will determine representation for the next 10 years. Campaign Legal Center (CLC), along with a majority of American voters, believe independent redistricting commissions (IRC), rather than legislatures, should draw maps, in order to stop...
Earlier this year, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), requesting an investigation into possible violations of federal law and House rules by Rep. James “Jim” Hagedorn.
Hagedorn’s campaign appears to have occupied rent-free office space for more than seven years, possibly constituting an...
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) for the allegedly illegal spending of over $100,000 of leftover funds from a state-level gubernatorial campaign account to finance the startup costs of his ongoing U.S. Senate campaign.
The complaint, filed on Oct...
A poll commissioned by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Protect Democracy, Issue One and RepresentUS showed strong bipartisan support for updating the Electoral Count Act (ECA), a 19th century law that provides the primary legal framework for casting and counting electoral votes, including Congress’ role in the process.
The poll highlights the serious...
Ethics investigations of members of Congress continue to show a trend of more lawmakers trying to block investigations into their alleged misconduct. From 2009 to 2020, approximately one third of lawmakers investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) did not cooperate with the investigation, according to cases that are public.
In...
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has written the White House to provide recommendations on steps the president can take to promote access to voting. Following Congress’ failure to advance the Freedom to Vote Act last week, presidential action is all the more crucial.
The letter follows up on President Joe Biden’s March 2021 executive order to...
In the first congressional insider trading investigation to become public in recent history, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) found evidence that the day after Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) received nonpublic information about Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., a company based in his district, his spouse bought stock in that same company.
By the time Kelly’s...
Earlier this year, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) against Rep. Tom Malinowski for allegedly violating the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.
Now, just over seven months later, the OCE has found, "substantial reason to believe" there was a violation and taken the rare...
Congress needs to act to make the promise of democracy more real for us all by getting rid of deliberate barriers to voting, preventing partisan gerrymandering and stopping secret money — otherwise known as dark money — from pouring into our elections. American voters should feel that they have an equal voice in our political system.
On Oct. 20...
Last month, a federal court ordered the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to take action on allegations that the National Rifle Association (NRA) violated federal campaign finance laws. The order, which gave the recalcitrant agency 30 days to comply, is significant, because it makes clear that the FEC cannot abdicate its obligation to enforce...
The U.S. Senate has introduced an updated version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, (S.4), which incorporates the Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) of 2021.
This important legislation will help reduce the barriers Native Americans face to participation in the U.S. political process, giving them an increased opportunity to...
Our country’s campaign finance system is increasingly plagued by corruption and a lack of accountability. This is due in large part to dysfunction at the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the federal watchdog agency charged with administering and enforcing campaign finance laws relating to races for the U.S. House, Senate, vice presidency and...