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 rolls; and withholding federal funding from states that lawfully accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received later. 

Jonathan Diaz, director for voting advocacy and partnerships at Campaign Legal Center, issued the following statement in response: 

“Our democracy works best when every American can participate. Voting is a fundamental American freedom. 

The president doesn't have the authority to adopt policies via executive order to restrict access to voting. This latest executive order is an unlawful power grab that would create major barriers to the ballot for U.S. citizens. 

We already have strict laws in place to protect the security of our elections. Elected officials need to be working to protect, rather than restrict, this fundamental right.” 

### 

Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Founded in 2002, CLC fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. 

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.

Washington, D.C. — Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and ethics officials at the U.S. Department of Commerce, urging them to hold U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick accountable for encouraging viewers of Fox News to buy stock in Tesla Wednesday evening. Lutnick’s promotion of the car company owned by Elon Musk, a megadonor to President Donald Trump and leader of the so-called U.S. DOGE Service (DOGE), violates federal ethics rules.  

“The president’s Cabinet members take an oath to serve the American people, and with that oath comes the ability and privilege to exercise a vast amount of power,” Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel, and senior director of ethics at Campaign Legal Center said in a statement. “Secretary Lutnick’s actions violate the ethics rules that were enacted to hold public officials accountable to the American people. The Office of Government Ethics and Commerce ethics officials should hold Lutnick accountable and reassure the public that their officials will face consequences if they use their public office to enrich themselves or their allies.”  

Executive branch officials are prohibited from using their public office to promote any product, service or enterprise. Therefore, Secretary Lutnick violated well-established federal ethics rules by using a television appearance to call on Americans to buy a specific stock while serving in his official capacity as Commerce secretary.  

Secretary Lutnick’s promotion of Tesla stock follows a concerning pattern of President Trump and his allies using the system to reward wealthy special interests with political favors and extreme influence.  

Senior officials of this administration have thousands of documented conflicts of interest, while robust ethics enforcement appears to be absent. This is a stark contrast to even the first Trump administration, which despite its routine ignoring of ethics rules, still had White House ethics lawyers rebuke Kellyanne Conway for promoting products by Ivanka Trump.

Executive branch officials hold some of the most powerful positions in government and they owe it to the America people to make the public good, not wealthy special interests, their top priority. The Office of Government Ethics and Commerce ethics officials must ensure that Secretary Lutnick is held accountable for a clear violation of federal ethics rules.

###

Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Founded in 2002, CLC fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.

Washington, D.C. — In an appearance on Fox News yesterday evening, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick encouraged viewers to buy stock in Tesla, the car company owned by Elon Musk, a “special government employee” advising the president and a leader of the so-called U.S. DOGE Service (DOGE). 

This continues a worrying pattern, seen since Inauguration Day, of President Donald Trump and his allies attempting to manipulate the system to enrich wealthy donors. Thus far, the second Trump administration has opened the door to a culture of corruption that rewards wealthy special interests with political favors and extreme influence. 

Even Trump’s first administration acknowledged that government officials are prohibited from endorsing “any product, service or enterprise” when White House ethics lawyers rebuked Kellyanne Conway for promoting Ivanka Trump’s products. But the new administration has senior officials with thousands of documented conflicts of interest and apparently no ethics enforcement. By using a television appearance, while in his official capacity as Commerce secretary, to call on Americans to buy a specific stock, Secretary Lutnick has clearly violated well-established federal ethics rules. 

Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel, and senior director for ethics at Campaign Legal Center, issued the following statement: 

“The president’s Cabinet members take an oath to serve the American people, and with that oath comes the ability and privilege to exercise a vast amount of power. Such power is intended to promote the public interest and is legally barred from promoting personal business interests. 

“Secretary Lutnick’s actions violate the ethics rules that were enacted to hold public officials accountable to the American people. His statement is part of a pattern of behavior showing that Trump’s indifference to ethics is trickling down to his most senior officials. 

“The American people deserve a government that prioritizes public good. Most people will conclude that promoting a stock is not tied to any public good and ethics laws agree. The Office of Government Ethics and Commerce ethics officials should hold Lutnick accountable and reassure the public that their officials will face consequences if they use their public office to enrich themselves or their allies.”

###

Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Founded in 2002, CLC fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.

Washington, DC — Following President Donald Trump’s speech at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, Campaign Legal Center’s President and Founder Trevor Potter released the following statement:

"President Trump's recent remarks at the Department of Justice are a troubling sign that, in this administration, the DOJ's role to uphold the rule of law has been transformed into a tool for settling the president's personal and political vendettas.

“In his remarks, the president attacked former Ambassador Norman Eisen, who has spent his distinguished career promoting government ethics and democracy, and the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a longtime leader in the movement for accountable government.

“We stand with Norm Eisen, CREW and fellow defenders of democracy who work to preserve the rule of law and the Constitution on behalf of the American people." 

###

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.

Birmingham, AL — In a win for Alabama voters, Secretary Wes Allen has abandoned last year’s illegal voter purge program that threatened to deny qualified American citizens their freedom to vote. Strict laws are already in place to protect the freedom to vote, and our elections have numerous safeguards in place that are regularly analyzed and updated to make sure only eligible voters participate. 

In September 2024, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, League of Women Voters of Alabama, the Alabama Conference of the NAACP, and four affected voters sued over Alabama’s illegal voter purge program that threatened to remove eligible voters from the state’s voter rolls less than three months before the election. In a case that was consolidated with a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, the district court halted the program prior to the election, finding that it violated the National Voter Registration Act. The plaintiffs are represented by Campaign Legal Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Fair Elections Center.

The program designed by Secretary Allen would have had disastrous results for eligible American voters. During a hearing in the case, Secretary Allen’s office admitted that within weeks it was able to confirm the eligibility of thousands of voters on the rolls that Secretary Allen had targeted for removal under the program. The plaintiffs’ expert report found that the vast majority of those voters wrongfully targeted by the program were people of color.  

Likely because of these disastrous results, Secretary Allen has made no known attempts to restart the program he launched in August 2024, which relied on faulty agency data. If Secretary Allen attempts to launch a new program that violates the rights of Alabama voters, the plaintiffs stand ready to take action.

This week, the plaintiffs withdrew their legal case against Secretary of State Wes Allen, as this program has come to an end. 

“Every American should be able to make their voice heard, and no one should be afraid to vote because a state is arbitrarily challenging their registration status. We celebrate the end to this unlawful purge program that unjustly targeted voters of color and naturalized voters,” said Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at Campaign Legal Center. “Voters in Alabama can rest easy for now knowing their freedom to vote is intact but should the state attempt to illegally silence voters, they can count on seeing Campaign Legal Center and our partners again in court.”

“Alabama voters should feel confident that once registered, they can vote and their vote will be counted," said Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama. "The League of Women Voters of Alabama will continue to monitor the state's compliance with the NVRA, and we will always fight for strong access to the ballot.”

"Alabama's purge program was implemented in response to harmful and xenophobic narratives, and it has no place in our multicultural democracy," said Caren Short, director of legal and research at the League of Women Voters of the United States. “The League is proud to have been part of the effort to shut down this program and ensure that no voter is denied access to the ballot unlawfully.”

“NAACP Alabama is pleased with Secretary of State Allen's decision to restore purged voters. However, the NAACP Alabama will remain vigilant for any other underhanded tactics that the Secretary of State tries to implement to deny citizens their right to vote.  We ask citizens to remain vigilant and  to check their voting status regularly and if there are changes that you did not authorize, to please contact the NAACP so that this can be investigated. We also ask our Congressperson from Alabama to join with Congresswoman Terri Sewell to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to help deter these types of unlawful purges,” said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP.

"We stand unified in defending voting rights for all U.S. citizens, and we expect the Alabama Secretary of State to uphold its responsibilities in protecting those rights. The process of obtaining citizenship takes years and requires unwavering commitment to the U.S. principles of democracy and justice, and, in return, our government agencies must honor that commitment and protect the rights of naturalized citizens to fully participate in our multiracial democracy," said Allison Hamilton, Executive Director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice.

“This challenge stopped a wildly inaccurate, last-minute purge program that threatened Alabama citizens’ freedom to vote,” said Michelle Kanter Cohen, policy and senior counsel at Fair Elections Center. “This victory underscores the importance of the National Voter Registration Act in protecting voters’ rights and opportunity to have a say in their government.”

“Alabama's voter purge disparately impacted hundreds of voters of color and naturalized citizens who were eligible to vote,” Sabrina Khan, senior supervising attorney, voting rights, Southern Poverty Law Center. “Ending the purge program ensures they can participate in elections without the state challenging their registration status. Today, the fundamental right to vote for every Alabamian was protected, making sure that all voices are heard. While there is still much work to be done to secure voting rights in Alabama, this is an important step forward.”

###

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed an ethics complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General, urging an investigation into whether the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s business transactions with Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, violate conflict-of-interest laws.  

“The American people deserve an unimpeded investigation to determine whether Elon Musk has violated conflict of interest laws by prioritizing his own personal financial interests over the public good,” said Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel and senior director for ethics at Campaign Legal Center.” Based on his public statements, it appears that Musk has corrupted decision making at the FAA involving the agency's use of his satellite internet business. Corruption happens when government officials abuse their powerful positions for personal gain — Elon Musk owes it to the American public to remove himself from overseeing decisions connected to his personal profits.”

Federal law prohibits executive branch officials from participating in matters that may benefit their personal financial interests. These laws apply to Elon Musk, a tech mogul who contributed nearly $300 million to President Trump’s reelection campaign and has since been designated as a “special government employee” working to oversee the so-called U.S. DOGE Service (DOGE).  

However, Musk appears to be using his position at DOGE to gain more wealth in ways that violate conflict of interest laws. He has not attempted to separate himself from his businesses that have received billions in government contracts. Several recent public statements by Musk also appear to have been a catalyst for the FAA to further integrate his Starlink satellite business into the agency’s operations for air traffic control — potentially at the expense of the FAA’s preexisting contracts with other companies.  

The public has a right to know that executive branch officials are acting on the public’s behalf, and not for the personal benefit of an unelected megadonor to the president. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s acting inspector general must investigate whether the FAA’s consideration of Starlink technology was illegally corrupted by Musk. Holding government officials to high ethical standards is essential for ensuring that the American people, and not wealthy special interests, come first in governance.

###

Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Founded in 2002, CLC fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process.

Learn more about CLC. Don't miss out on our latest resources: Subscribe to President Trevor Potter's newsletter on LinkedIn or email, tune in to the latest season of our award-winning podcast, Democracy Decoded, and join our livestreamed events.