In response to news that House Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady offered an amendment, which passed on a party-line vote, that further weakens the long-standing federal law barring charities and churches from engaging in electoral politics, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released the following...

This backroom deal represents everything Americans detest about Washington and about Congress.  Rather than pass legislation to fix the corrupt existing campaign finance system, this Congress that couldn't pass a bill to simply increase transparency for campaign contributions decided to raise the...

CLC Litigators and Policy Experts Weigh in on the Upcoming State Fights, from California to Connecticut

This event took place on December 14, 2017. To listen to a recording of the call, click here.In 2017, we have seen an administration with unprecedented conflicts of interest, foreign actors...

Today in Van Hollen v. FEC, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that a Federal Election Commission (FEC) rule improperly narrowed the scope of the McCain-Feingold law’s disclosure requirements and allowed nonprofit 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, 501(c)...

A federal appeals court ruled in Holmes v. FEC that under the First Amendment, Congress can separate contribution limits for primaries and general elections. Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case to protect contribution limits from a legal challenge from a group...

Today, the Campaign Legal Center, joined by Democracy 21 and Public Citizen, filed an amici brief in Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Gessler,urging theU.S. District Court for the District of Colorado to reject a challenge to the Colorado Constitution’s “electioneering communications” disclosure...

WASHINGTON – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) called on the Senate to ensure that the appropriations bill does not further expand the role of big money in our political system.

A letter sent to Chairman Cochran and Vice Chairman Leahy by CLC called on the Senate to oppose appropriations...

Today, in Justice v. Hosemann, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a trial court ruling that had struck down several Mississippi disclosure requirements as applied to certain individuals and groups engaged in ballot measure advocacy.  The Campaign Legal Center had...

Voters have a right to know information about who is trying to influence their vote

WASHINGTON – Today, for the first time, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) agreed that Facebook political ads must include disclaimers stating who paid for them, in response to an advisory opinion request that...

Reports have indicated that the final tax bill will not include a repeal of the Johnson Amendment, a change that would have allowed charitable organizations organized as  501(c)3 nonprofits to engage in political campaigns on behalf of (or in opposition to) candidates for public office.

Brendan...

Today, the Campaign Legal Center submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, to be filed upon leave of the court, in Citizens for Responsible Government Advocates (CRG) v. Barland.  The brief urges the court to reject CRG’s motion to enjoin Wisconsin...

WASHINGTON — Unnamed donors who funneled nearly two million dollars through a series of entities to a super PAC in an effort to keep their names off the contribution should not be allowed to remain anonymous, according to a motion to intervene filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in...

On Wednesday night, in Public Citizen v. FEC, reform groups filed a reply brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia reiterating a request that the court declare the FEC’s dismissal of a complaint against the secretive 501(c)(4) political group Crossroads GPS contrary to law, and...

Today, in Independence Institute v. Gessler, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado dismissed a challenge to the “electioneering communications” disclosure provisions enshrined in Colorado’s state constitution.  The state measure is materially indistinguishable from the federal...

WASHINGTON - Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the treasurer of former Congressman Mark Takai’s (HI-01) campaign committee, Dylan Beesley, has illegally converted the late Congressman’s leftover campaign funds to personal...

WASHINGTON – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released a report detailing the vulnerabilities of American elections to foreign interference that were exposed in the 2016 presidential election. The report outlines solutions for addressing this most urgent issue, which would protect the integrity of...

Mayor Bowser should support this public financing program, which incentivizes District candidates to seek support from a wider group of young, diverse voters

WASHINGTON - Today, the Council of the District of Columbia voted decisively to approve the Fair Elections Act of 2017. The District will...

A Federal Election Commission that functions and enforces the law is critical to a healthy democracy

WASHINGTON – Lee Goodman announced Wednesday that he is stepping down from his post as Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). This strips the FEC down to four commissioners, which...

Current law allows former candidates to keep campaign accounts open forever, inviting abuse of funds through personal use

WASHINGTON – A recent investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and WTSP-TV exposed the fact that 102 former campaigns were still spending money years after their candidates left...

Today, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ignored the laws passed by Congress in order to provide wealthy individuals a way to double the amount they can contribute to the national political parties. Vice Chair Ann Ravel joined with Republican Commissioners to greenlight the gutting of existing...