The Federal Election Commission (FEC) handed down record fines after coming to a conciliation agreement with a Chinese owned company and Right to Rise, a super PAC supporting Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential run. This enforcement was generated by a complaint filed with the FEC by CLC.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) sent a letter to CLC announcing the details of a fine levied against Ted Cruz for Senate. After concluding their investigation, the FEC found Cruz obtained loans from Citibank and Goldman Sachs for use in his 2012 Senate campaign but improperly reported these loans as coming from his “personal funds.” The fine is $35,000 for inaccurately reporting the source of campaign loans totaling $1,064,000, a violation of federal law, stemming from a complaint filed by CLC and Democracy 21 in 2016.

CLC submitted the attached letter to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, asking him to veto anti-transparency legislation passed by the state legislature. The bill, HB 1205, would broadly prohibit state and local government agencies in Mississippi from requiring 501(c) organizations to disclose any information about their donors and supporters.The Mississippi bill closely resembles legislation that was vetoed by Michigan's governor in December 2018. 

On March 14, 2019, CLC submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass’n v. Brown in the California court of appeals on behalf of California Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of California, and California Clean Money Campaign, in defense of a 2016 law that paved the way for state and local entities in California to establish public financing programs. The brief argues that the law was a valid legislative amendment to the Political Reform Act of 1974 (“PRA”) because it was enacted to further the PRA’s express good-government purposes: making California’s elections more fair, competitive, and equitable.

CLC filed an amicus brief on June 28, 2017, arguing that given the judicial findings and academic research referenced above, providing California’s state and local governments with the option of implementing citizen-funded elections clearly furthers the Political Reform Act's purposes. S.B. 1107 was therefore passed in accordance with state law and appropriately modernizes the PRA. 

This issue brief documenting how the top-spending dark money group in the 2018 elections, Majority Forward, secretly spent more on undisclosed digital ads targeted at voters in states with competitive Senate seats. This is a case study in how digital loopholes in campaign finance laws have been exploited. HR 1 would limit this practice.

CLC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that a political committee tied to former Rep. John Linder illegally converted campaign funds to personal use. Now called FAIRPAC, the committee appears to have violated the personal use prohibition by using Linder's leftover campaign funds for payments to Linder's children, travel, and phone and internet bills, among other expenditures. Linder left office in 2011. 

CLC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that a political committee tied to former Rep. Ander Crenshaw illegally converted campaign funds to personal use. Now called Ander PAC, the committee appears to have violated the personal use prohibition by using Crenshaw's leftover campaign funds for a trip to Disney World, other travel, and phone bills, among other expenditures. Crenshaw left office in 2017.

On January 30, 2019, CLC submitted a letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) urging the Commission to finalize its regulation on internet communication disclaimers. The letter outlines how long it has taken the FEC to act on rulemaking, and demonstrates how foreign and domestic actors have exploited the FEC's inaction to the detriment of American voters.

On March 4, 2019, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) urging the FEC to make its process of issuing advisory opinions more transparent and to allow public comment before issuing final advisory opinions.

On March 4, 2019, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) requesting that the FEC proceed with rulemaking that will ensure disclosure of information to the public. Further, the comment requests that the FEC consider whether any changes to the regulatory definition of "contribution" are necessary.

On March 1, 2019, CLC's Adav Noti, senior director of trial litigation and chief of staff, submitted responses to questions for the record in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary's HR 1 hearing.

A new report from Campaign Legal Center (CLC) takes a more holistic view of the relationship between disclosure laws and the First Amendment. Rather than focusing on the negative implications of disclosure, this report explains how political transparency promotes First Amendment values by ensuring voters have the information necessary to make meaningful choices on Election Day.

CLC submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about 3M, a Minnesota company that appears to have violated a provision prohibiting federal contractors from making contributions to political committees while negotiating or performing federal contracts.

CLC submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about Skytron LLC, a Michigan company that appears to have violated a provision prohibiting federal contractors from making contributions to political committees while negotiating or performing federal contracts.

On February 20, 2019, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) submitted a statement for the record to the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee on HR 1. The statement highlights HR 1's expansion of Office of Government Ethics OGE oversight duties, codification of the ethics pledge, and requirements related to the disclosure of certain dark money provisions.

On October 12, 2016, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a reply to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia requesting that the court grant a request for summary judgment.

On November 23, 2015, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) because of the FEC's deadlock on an enforcement question.

On August 10, 2017, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a reply to the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) brief in the FEC rule enforcement deadlock case.

On July 27, 2017, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filed a brief U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the FEC rule enforcement deadlock case. The FEC brief responds to a brief by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).