Former president Donald Trump issued pardons during his final hours of office that confirm his legacy of pardoning public corruption. Although part of his legacy will be pardons for his political allies and cash for clemency, an underlying and unprecedented theme of his pardons is the removal of accountability for officials who committed crimes...

Inauguration Day 2021 has arrived, and the candidate chosen by the voters—Joe Biden—is being sworn in. Whether individuals supported Biden or Trump, the main thing is that it was the voters—expressing their will through our Electoral College process—who selected the next president.

This is how it’s supposed to be.

That happened. Despite it all, that...

A record 160 million Americans voted in the 2020 general election and made their voices heard, a remarkable achievement during a year defined by overlapping challenges.

President Trump used his megaphone to try and delegitimize election results while a viral pandemic spread like wildfire through the country. But hardworking election officials across...

In a last-minute effort to try to take advantage of a once in a decade opportunity to fix the state’s deeply broken redistricting process, a group of Illinois House lawmakers is proposing a bill to create fair maps by establishing an independent redistricting commission (IRC).

Every state should have districts that allow every vote to count...

After nearly a year and a half, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) again has a quorum. Now, ahead of the first public meeting with its three newest commissioners, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is urging the agency to carry out its obligations of enforcing, administering, and interpreting campaign finance laws.

As the only government agency...

A violent mob forced its way into the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupting the joint session of Congress to receive and count Electoral College votes. Thankfully, within a few hours, the halls of the Capitol were cleared. On Jan. 7, 2021, Congress was able to finish certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s and Vice President-elect Kamala...

On Jan. 3, 2021 the 117th Congress was sworn into office. On January 6, Congress will meet in a joint session to officially count the electoral votes cast in December. The congressional meeting on January 6 is the final step in the Electoral College process, confirming the electoral vote majority that Joe Biden won in December.

Congress’ only job is...

The For the People Act, H.R. 1, is a sweeping democracy reform package that has been reintroduced in the U.S. Congress.

If passed, this much-needed legislation would enact some of the greatest, most comprehensive improvements our democracy has seen in decades.

Congress should pass, and President Joe Biden should sign, H.R. 1 into law. This bill w...

For the first time, we have heard with our own ears a president attempting to procure false election results.

On Jan. 2, 2021, President Trump engaged in an hourlong phone call badgering Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to use his position as the state’s chief election official to “find” 11,780 votes in order to sway the election to...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against a super PAC that made illegal contributions to the Trump campaign by quietly paying to target the campaign’s digital ads to voters in swing states. The super PAC “Our American Century” raised $7.5 million in 2020, and spent $5.5 million on digital ads...

Earlier this year, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the Trump Campaign laundered $170 million in spending to conceal payments to people close to the Trump family and campaign.

To conceal the campaign’s transactions to vendors, American Made Media Consultants LLC (AMMC), was...

Voters across the political spectrum consistently rate “corruption in the political system” as one of the top three problems facing our country today. To combat the collapse of transparency in the financing of our elections, local and state legislative bodies need to enact and enforce strong disclosure laws.

Earlier this year, a corruption scheme...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that two separate super PACs violated federal law by coordinating over $8 million in expenditures to two Democratic Senate campaigns in Mississippi and Kentucky.  

Ditch Fund and March On PAC, illegally coordinated with the U.S. Senate Campaigns of...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) hosted the public education call “Understanding the State of Democracy Reform Through 2020 Ballot Initiatives.”

CLC experts Caleb Jackson, legal counsel, voting rights, and Danielle Lang, co-director of voting rights and redistricting, were joined by special guests Sean Nicholson, senior content strategist and research...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has successfully defended Michigan’s voter-approved independent redistricting commission from two legal challenges. This follows historic action taken by the state’s voters to curb the undemocratic practice of partisan gerrymandering.

In 2018, Michigan decided to put voters – not politicians – in charge of drawing...

President-elect Joe Biden’s 2021 inaugural is expected to be much smaller and cost far less than past transfers of power, so why is Biden’s inaugural committee accepting $1 million in corporate checks?

Past inaugural celebrations have featured days of packed events and galas, but thanks to the global pandemic, Biden’s inaugural events will mostly...

As we've passed the “safe harbor deadline” — the day when Electoral College votes are essentially “locked in” to be accepted by Congress — why are President Trump and the Republican Party continuing to challenge the presidential election outcome, even though it’s over? 

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) President Trevor Potter discussed this question...

Earlier this year, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that six companies violated the federal contractor contribution ban by donating to super PACs.

The 80-year-old ban on federal contractors making political donations protects against the appearance or reality that taxpayer-funded...

In American politics, money won’t ensure victory, but it will give you a greater chance to win.

Campaigning in the United States gets more expensive every cycle, and the 2020 general elections are projected to have cost an unprecedented $14 billion. Political ad spending topped $1.5 billion this year in the presidential race alone.

The role of...

More than two years after CLC filed a 115-page complaint with the Department of Commerce Inspector General asking for an investigation into Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’ many apparent conflicts of interest, the inspector general has issued its report, finding that Secretary Ross did, in fact, violate ethics rules designed to protect the public...

CLC filed an amicus brief in New Jersey Bankers Association v. Grewal supporting the state of New Jersey’s defense of its century-old law prohibiting campaign contributions from banks and certain other corporations.

In this case, the New Jersey Bankers Association, a trade association of regional banks, is challenging the constitutionality of New...