Recent Cases & Actions
The FEC routinely fails to enforce campaign finance laws. Congress anticipated the possibility of FEC inaction and authorized lawsuits to compel agency enforcement actions. Realizing that FEC delays may persist even in the face of a court order, Congress also authorized citizen enforcement suits to ensure that protracted FEC delays don’t undermine our political system.
After the FEC failed to take action for over three years, CLC filed suit against the dark money group Heritage Action for America to enforce disclosure laws. Heritage Action spent over $1 million to influence federal elections in 2018 cycle without reporting its funding sources.
CLC represented the City of Santa Fe in the successful defense of its political disclosure law, protecting voters’ right to know who is behind efforts to influence their votes.
CLC's lawyers litigate cases across the nation protecting voting rights, fighting unconstitutional gerrymandering and defending against attacks on campaign finance and disclosure laws. CLC also serves as a watchdog, applying pressure to governmental agencies that fail to enforce campaign finance laws and voting protections.
Campaign Legal Center Action (CLCA), on behalf of the gun safety organization Giffords, filed suit against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and two political campaigns for violating federal campaign finance laws. This suit follows the FEC's failure to comply with a court order to take action on the allegations against the NRA.
Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission to redraw the state’s voting districts. A group of plaintiffs sued to block its implementation. CLC serves as co-counsel for Voters Not Politicians, a nonpartisan, citizen-led organization that worked to pass the constitutional amendment.
In 2021, Georgia passed a new elections law that severely limits the ability of third parties to provide voters with assistance requesting, obtaining and submitting absentee ballot applications. CLC represents several organizations who distribute absentee ballot applications in challenging this burdensome and unnecessary law.
