President Donald Trump’s second term has been characterized by relentlessly testing (and often overriding) the legal and constitutional limits of presidential authority. A mountain of legally dubious executive orders, a number of ethically questionable actions, and countless examples of executive overreach have blurred the line on where...

In a win for government transparency and ethics enforcement, the U.S. House of Representatives just approved four nominees to the governing board of the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC).

The announcement comes on the heels of a letter Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and 19 partners sent to House leadership calling on them to approve the OCC board....

Any attempt to limit the freedom to vote is an attempt to silence American voices. All across the country, states have been passing bills that would require voters to provide unnecessary and difficult-to-obtain documentation in order to register to vote.

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has been at the forefront of challenging these laws because our...

If you are born in the United States, the Constitution clearly guarantees that you are a citizen with all the freedoms that entails. Citizenship unlocks the door to democratic participation and the promise of an inclusive America — from ensuring the fundamental freedom to vote in federal elections to running for office.  

But the president is...

In America, a core principle of our democracy is one person, one vote. That principle — which is rooted in law and which courts have upheld time and again — aims to ensure every American’s voice is heard and every vote counts equally.  

However, the way some states draw their electoral districts can violate this principle and lead to unfair...

In a victory for North Carolina voters, thousands of voters will be able to make their voices heard and not have their ballots wrongly discarded for the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race between incumbent Justice Allison Riggs and Judge Jefferson Griffin. As a result, Riggs will retain her seat on the state high court.  

The courts affirmed...

Transparency is tremendously important for our democracy to function effectively. Voters should know who is spending money to influence their vote — which is why we have laws barring wealthy special interests from using secret campaign funds to buy favor with elected officials.  

Federal campaign finance laws protect voters from a corrupt, pay-to...

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...

In a victory for American voters, a key part of the president’s recent executive order on elections was successfully halted. The president attempted to act beyond his power by unconstitutionally trying to establish new voter registration requirements and directing an independent agency to make drastic changes to our elections.    

Campaign Legal...

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...