It costs money to run an organization or business, particularly one that processes financial transactions. On top of the basic administrative overhead — like salary, benefits, rent and taxes — any organization that handles other people’s money must keep precise records and comply with the relevant laws; handling money involves significant legal...

On July 25, 2022, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) President Trevor Potter gave an address for the Chautauqua Lecture Series at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.  

His speech, entitled, “The Crisis Facing American Democracy,” focused on some of the greatest threats to democracy today yet also highlighted potential solutions while...

Every year, the federal government spends billions of taxpayer dollars on federal contracts with companies that provide the government with essential goods and services.  

Elected officials should make these contracting decisions solely with an eye on keeping the government operating effectively and efficiently — not on whether companies seeking...

The voting maps we draw today will shape people’s lives for the next decade. If we want a fair and inclusive democracy where every voice is heard and every vote is counted equally, then we can’t let politicians carve up communities of color for political gain.

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) is a national law that protects communities of color against...

This week, Congress is holding an important hearing on a proposed law that would significantly improve transparency in our elections: the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act (DISCLOSE Act). 

Transparency in elections is a central pillar of a vibrant, inclusive democracy. Voters have a fundamental right to know...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has released a new analysis discussing how the current Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts, otherwise known as the Roberts Court, has a record for being consistently anti-democratic when deciding cases that affect American democracy.

The analysis shows how the Roberts Court has reversed decades of work by...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has filed a lawsuit in District of Columbia federal court, challenging the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) recent dismissal of an administrative complaint that CLC filed against the campaign committees of then-President Donald Trump in July 2020 and later supplemented in January 2021. 

The underlying administrative...

By Sally Marsh, a Summer 2022 CLC intern

Federal campaign finance law contains a commonsense prohibition: companies cannot contribute to any political committee — including candidates’ campaigns, PACs or super PACs — while they are negotiating or performing a contract with the federal government.

The federal contractor contribution ban is an...

A bipartisan, select committee in the U.S. House of Representatives continued a series of hearings this month about the January 6th attack on our country. The third hearing shined a light on the need for Congress to update the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA), which provides the primary legal framework for how presidential votes are cast and...

Voters deserve to have an equal opportunity to cast their ballots safely and effectively. In-person voting is the most popular method for voting in U.S. elections, and in some states, the only method of voting for the majority of voters. Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, over half of voters — 54% — voted in person during the 2020 general election.

By Lica Porcile, a Summer 2022 CLC intern

Wealthy special interests use secret money, sometimes called dark money, to elect candidates that support their private agenda over the interests of everyday Americans. Voters have a right to know who is spending big money to influence their vote.

One way in which special interests keep their political...

In an op-ed for The Hill last week, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) President and Founder Trevor Potter spoke of the ongoing issues stemming from inaction by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an agency he previously led as commissioner and chair, as well as the need for other parts of our government to step up where the agency is letting voters...

The New York State Senate and New York State Assembly have passed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of New York (NYVRA), which Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed into law, making it the most comprehensive state Voting Rights Act in the country.

The NYVRA protects communities of color from attacks on their freedom to vote by preventing...

Recent high-profile ethics investigations have revealed that members of Congress are refusing to cooperate with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) at a troubling rate.

Out of the eight members whose investigations have been made public by the OCE in 2022, five have refused to cooperate with the investigation, giving a rate of 63%...

By Emily Davis, a Summer 2022 CLC intern

Companies spend on political contributions and lobbying to influence elections and advance their policy goals.

Most of this spending is legal, but there are important, necessary legal barriers that help preserve the integrity of the democratic process.

For instance, corporations cannot give directly to...

A bipartisan, select committee in the U.S. House of Representatives held its first hearing this week on the January 6th attack on our country. The proceeding included speeches from committee members interwoven with new and disturbing video footage from Jan. 6, 2021, laying the groundwork for what’s to come in a series of hearings throughout the...

By Blair Page, a Summer 2022 CLC intern

The 80-year-old ban on federal contractors making political donations protects against the appearance or reality that taxpayer-funded federal contracts are effectively “for sale.” The ban is a key defense against the formation of a corrupt “pay-to-play” system in which wealthy special interests are rewarded...

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) attorneys are headed to Georgia this week to challenge restrictive measures in S.B. 202, which was signed into law in March 2021 and made significant changes to Georgia’s election system.

CLC is specifically challenging three provisions of the law that limit the ability of nonprofit civic engagement organizations to...

By Blair Page, a Summer 2022 CLC intern

To uphold transparency, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) must robustly enforce the federal straw donor ban, which prohibits donors from funneling their campaign contributions through another person or entity to try to evade disclosure requirements.

Voters have a right to know who is spending to...

Every 10 years, every state must go through something called “redistricting.” Redistricting is the process where states redraw the district lines for elections, which determines who you get to vote for. This process should be straightforward. Unfortunately, in the U.S., politicians in many states engage in gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering involves...

Campaign Legal Center welcomes eight new members to our team for the summer: our 2022 class of summer law interns. The summer interns are current law students who will work with CLC's full time staff to help advance our work in the areas of voting rights, redistricting, campaign finance, and ethics. 

Welcome, team!