Washington, DC — Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs advanced vital legislation that would help restore public trust in our government. Specifically, lawmakers on the committee voted 8-7 to approve a modified version of S. 1498, a bipartisan bill that would ban sitting members of Congress, the president and the vice president from buying and selling stocks, as well as other securities, commodities or futures. This reform is necessary to address voters’ growing concerns about corruption and the conflicts of interest that can arise when elected officials trade stock. 

The modified version of S. 1498 closely mirrors the text of the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, legislation that Campaign Legal Center (CLC) endorsed and was passed by the same Senate committee last year. Today’s vote sends this policy proposal to the full Senate once again, a major milestone in the legislative process. 

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

“Every day, members of Congress craft laws that directly impact the lives of Americans. At the same time, they are often aware of information before the broader public or that voters never learn about. As long as lawmakers are allowed to buy and sell stocks, these realities can create unfortunate incentives for some officials to prioritize personal profit over policymaking. 

“To prevent corruption and conflicts of interest, CLC has long called on Congress to update the STOCK Act, which merely requires members to disclose their transactions, and fully ban stock trading by sitting legislators. In the absence of these stronger rules, we’ve seen congressional stock trading proliferate. This has led to repeated examples of ethical violations and questionable financial activity, including during global health emergencies and times of great economic uncertainty. 

“Voters have a right to know that their elected representatives are acting in the public’s best interest and are not motivated by their personal financial interests. The bill that advanced today would realize this essential goal. Campaign Legal Center thanks the bipartisan champions of this reform, and we urge both chambers of Congress to now pass this legislation without delay.” 

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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.

Washington, DC — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court moved to protect fair representation for Native American voters in North Dakota, a major victory for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Nation, and the individual Native American voters who brought this lawsuit and won a trial victory only for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to rule that they had no right to sue in the first place. 

This decision keeps the current fair map in place and safeguards hard-won representation for Native American voters in North Dakota while the Court considers the full case. Importantly, it also protects the voices of all voters in seven states to challenge discriminatory voting laws through Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). 

Since February 2022, Campaign Legal Center, Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the Law Offices of Bryan L. Sells, LLC, and Robins Kaplan LLP have been challenging the state’s 2021 legislative redistricting plan that weakened the voting power of Native American voters in North Dakota. 

After a shockingly antidemocratic decision by the Eighth Circuit in May 2025, millions of voters across seven states were at risk of losing core democratic rights. All voters should be protected under the VRA, regardless of the state they live in. To ensure today’s protection is made permanent, CLC, NARF and co-counsel plan to file a cert petition to formally ask the Supreme Court to hear our case during their next term.

“The Supreme Court has rightfully halted the 8th Circuit’s decision. It is important to remember that this is not just about maps and lines. It is about whether people in my community have an equal opportunity to elect our candidates of choice. Today’s ruling helps protect our voice while we continue the fight for Native voting rights and fair representation.” said Representative Collette Brown, District 9, North Dakota House of Representatives.

“We are relieved that Native voters in North Dakota retain the ability to protect ourselves from discrimination at the polls. Our fight for the rights of our citizens continues. The map enacted by the North Dakota legislature unlawfully dilutes the votes of Native voters, and it cannot be allowed to stand.” said Jamie Azure, Chairman, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. 

“Native voters have the right to vote on the same terms as all other voters. Today the Court helped protect those rights for all voters across the 8th Circuit. We will continue do whatever it takes to ensure our right to have fair representation and a voice is vindicated,.” said Lonna Jackson-Street, Chairperson, Spirit Lake Nation.

“We are pleased to see the Supreme Court uphold decades of precedent and affirm voters’ power to enforce their voting rights in court by staying the Eighth Circuit’s decision against citizen access to challenge discrimination. At the forefront of this fight are Native American voters in North Dakota who continue to fight to safeguard their right to fair representation,” said Trevor Potter, Founder and President of Campaign Legal Center. “Today’s decision reverberates beyond North Dakota — it maintains the rights of voters in seven states under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Circuit to challenge unfair voting laws via Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. When we file our cert petition, we plan to defend this critical legal tool to ensure all voters across the country can make their voices heard.” 

"For decades, Tribes and Native Americans in North Dakota have fought for the rights of reservation voters," said Native American Rights Fund Staff Attorney Lenny Powell. "Today is another victory in that fight. The U.S. Supreme Court paused a decision that would strip Native voters — and all voters — of their ability to enforce their rights under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act."

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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. 

Washington, DC — On July 18, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a trial briefing in its citizen suit against Iowa Values. This lawsuit stems from the actions Iowa Values, a PAC masquerading as a nonprofit, took during the 2020 election cycle to support the reelection of Sen. Joni Ernst. CLC’s briefing presents proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law for consideration by the district court in issuing its final ruling.

Erin Chlopak, senior director for campaign finance at Campaign Legal Center, issued the following statement:

“By keeping voters in the dark about who was funding its efforts to influence Iowa voters, Iowa Values broke the law. Voters have a right to know who is spending to influence their vote and our elections, and we need meaningful enforcement of campaign finance laws so that wealthy special interests cannot pump money into our elections in secret.  

“We have taken Iowa Values to court and uncovered a trove of revealing evidence — in a rare direct citizen suit  — to both obtain the transparency CLC needs to do its work and that voters deserve to cast an informed vote, and to help ensure that dark money groups like Iowa Values cannot get away with hiding the sources of their spending, even when the Federal Election Commission fails to do its job.

“Over the course of this suit against Iowa Values, Campaign Legal Center has uncovered extensive, detailed evidence that overwhelmingly proves — in Iowa Values’ own words — that the group’s ‘first and foremost' goal was to reelect Sen. Joni Ernst in 2020.

“A victory for CLC in this case would create enforceable judicial precedent regarding the legal rules for campaign finance disclosure. Importantly, such a victory would also make it harder for the FEC to shirk its duty — as it did with Iowa Values — in the future, leading to greater enforcement of laws that protect voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence their vote in elections.”

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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.