CLC Applauds Appointment of Governing Board Members to the Office of Congressional Conduct

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Washington, DC — Today, after calls from Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and its partners, U.S. House of Representatives leadership appointed members to the governing board for the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), an independent ethics body (formerly known as the Office of Congressional Ethics) with the power to conduct investigations into members of Congress. CLC and 19 other good government partners recently sent a letter urging House leadership to appoint an OCC board so that the entity can conduct investigations and review allegations of misconduct by members of Congress. 

Kedric Payne — CLC’s vice president, general counsel, and senior director, ethics — issued the following statement in response to this development: 

“Campaign Legal Center applauds the decision by House leadership to appoint a governing board of members for the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC). 

“Since its creation, Campaign Legal Center has advocated for the OCC’s ongoing existence in the House because it's the only ethics enforcement body in Congress that conducts and publicizes investigations into members on a nonpartisan basis. 

“Today’s appointment of board members indicates that the OCC is now able to resume its vital operation of ensuring lawmakers abide by ethics rules, which is essential to our democracy. 

“Campaign Legal Center will keep pushing for key reforms on ethics enforcement in Congress. We support making this independent ethics body a permanent feature of not just the House but also the Senate. We also strive to see an OCC with more subpoena powers, increased transparency and a bipartisan confirmation process. 

“Voters have a right to know that their elected officials in Congress are putting the public first. At a time when public trust in Congress remains at a historic low, the legislative branch should work to strengthen and expand the Office of Congressional Conduct.” 

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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.

Issues
Ethics

Defending Louisianans Against Burdensome Voter Registration Requirements (League of Women Voters of Louisiana et al v. Landry et al)

At a Glance

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is representing pro-voter Louisiana organizations in a lawsuit challenging a new Louisiana law that would require voters to jump through hoops to prove their citizenship to register to vote. 

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Voting and Elections
About This Case/Action

In June 2024, Louisiana passed SB 436, a state law that would require citizens to provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The law, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, was passed in the name of securing elections, but the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) already requires voters to verify their citizenship when they register, making SB 436 an unnecessary hurdle for voters.  

On January 28, 2025, Campaign Legal Center and our legal partners sent a letter on behalf of pro-voter organizations to Louisiana’s Secretary of State notifying them that this blatant violation of Louisianians’ freedom to vote must be corrected within 90 days.  

Since it was not corrected, Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Louisiana and League of Women Voters of Louisiana Education Fund (together, LWVLA or the League), Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), the NAACP Louisiana State Conference and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) to make sure all eligible voters are able to make their voices heard.  

When registering to vote, all applicants must already swear that they are U.S. citizens, whether they were born here or moved here. Requiring voters to jump through new, burdensome and unnecessary hoops when registering to vote by requiring extra documents proving citizenship that millions of American citizens don’t have access to threatens the freedom to vote.  

CLC is calling on the courts to rule that SB 436 violates the U.S. Constitution and the NVRA and block it from being implemented. 

Associated Cases & Actions

Protecting the Promise of American Citizenship

Campaign Legal Center Files Lawsuit Seeking a Fair Congressional Map in Wisconsin

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Madison, WI — Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine individuals, urging the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order the congressional map in the state be redrawn so that voting power is equally distributed among all voters in the state. 

The Wisconsin Constitution requires that congressional maps be drawn to ensure that all voters have an equal say at the ballot box. But the current congressional map in the state lacks population equality among the eight congressional districts in violation of the bedrock one-person, one vote principle. Even small departures from equality in a congressional map harm voters. When districts are drawn fairly, all voters have an equal chance to make their voice heard and elect leaders who will best serve their community. 

“Our democracy cannot be fair if one vote has more power than another, but Wisconsin’s voting maps are drawn in a way that makes that the case,” said Mark Gaber, senior director of redistricting at Campaign Legal Center. “Wisconsinites deserve an equal say and an equal chance to make their voices heard across all levels of government. No voter should have more or less of a say because of where they live, and we’ll see to it that the state complies with this principle.” 

Follow the latest updates on this lawsuit on our case page. 

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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.

Issues
Redistricting

Fighting An Unconstitutional Map in Wisconsin (Felton v. Wisconsin Elections Commission)

At a Glance

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine Wisconsin voters challenging the unconstitutional malapportionment — unequal population — of Wisconsin’s congressional map.  

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Active
Updated
Issues
Redistricting
About This Case/Action

In America, a core principle of our democracy is one person, one vote. That principle, rooted in law, allows every voice to be heard — and every vote to count equally.

However, Wisconsin currently does not distribute its population equally across congressional districts, resulting in unequal electoral power among Wisconsin voters. Every voter in Wisconsin should get an equal say in who represents them in Congress, but current unfair voting maps prevent this.

In 2022, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin imposed the state’s current congressional map, following an impasse between the Legislature and governor. This map violates the equality guarantee of Article I, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution because it does not equally apportion the state’s population among Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts.  

The current map also splits many more counties than necessary, ignoring Wisconsin’s traditional redistricting requirements.

The map’s lack of population equality harms Wisconsin voters because it results in unequal voting power among Wisconsinites. In particular, voters in the overpopulated Congressional District 3 are harmed because the value of their vote is reduced compared to voters in other districts.

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine Wisconsin voters from across the state challenging the constitutionality of the current malapportioned congressional map.

The current map is not permissible. In 2022, the majority of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin elevated a judicially-invented “least change” policy over other criteria.  

This “least change” policy, which focused on keeping new districts as similar as possible to the previous districts, was prioritized over any consideration of the most basic requirement of one person, one vote, as well as other traditional redistricting principles.  

However, in 2023, the Court ruled that “least change” was not a permissible consideration to drive map selection because it is an unclear concept and has no basis in the Wisconsin Constitution. As a result, this lawsuit argues “least change” cannot, and does not, justify the current map’s unequal population distribution.

The Wisconsin Constitution has a clear requirement that all Wisconsinites be treated equally, and the state cannot use a map that violates that basic guarantee. Wisconsin voters should not be forced to participate in three more election cycles under a congressional map that violates the state’s constitution.  

Campaign Legal Center, on behalf of our clients, is asking the Supreme Court of Wisconsin to block use of the current congressional map for future elections and schedule a process to ensure a fair, constitutional map will be in place for the 2026 election if the Legislature and governor cannot agree on a new, constitutional map. 

Victory for North Carolina Voters: All Challenged Ballots in Contested Supreme Court Race Must be Counted

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Raleigh, NC — Yesterday, military and overseas voters won a key victory in the ongoing legal battle over the race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. The court ruled that the election was conducted freely and fairly — ordering that the thousands of ballots challenged by candidate Jefferson Griffin should be counted. Judge Griffin’s challenges sought to throw out ballots by overseas and military voters who followed every instruction given to them.

This decision follows a lengthy legal battle stemming from Griffin’s loss to incumbent Justice Allison Riggs in the November election, a loss that was affirmed by a recount. This is a significant victory for democracy that allows thousands of voters to make their voices heard.

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed briefs on behalf of Secure Families Initiative (SFI) at every step of the way in this case, working to ensure that military and overseas voters could have their ballots counted.

"Every North Carolinian — every American — should have confidence that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted and their voice will be heard. This is as true for a military voter living overseas as it is for a lifelong resident of Raleigh,” said Danielle Lang, senior director for voting rights at Campaign Legal Center. “This decision affirms that truth, and it affirms that one person cannot overthrow an election by changing the rules after the fact just because they don’t like the results."

"The fight against voter disenfranchisement has never come easily throughout American history, and this case was no exception,” said Sarah Streyder, executive director of Secure Families Initiative. “We welcome today’s ruling as it re-affirms the right for military and overseas voters to have our voices heard in the elections that directly impact our lives."

The freedom to vote is essential to our democracy. We the people decide the outcome of elections with our votes, and any attempt by a bad actor who doesn’t like the results to change the rules after the votes have already been counted undermines the integrity of our elections. That cannot be allowed to happen.

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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.

Issues
Voting and Elections
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