Ohio Right to Life (ORTL) filed suit to challenge multiple provisions of Ohio’s campaign finance law, including its “electioneering communications” corporate funding prohibition and related disclosure requirements. In September 2008, the district court rejected ORTL’s request to enjoin Ohio’s...

In November 2008, the RNC filed a challenge to the federal limits on coordinated spending between political parties and their candidates for federal office. In September 2010, the en banc Fifth Circuit rejected all of plaintiffs’ claims, and upheld the party coordinated spending limits...

In January 2005, EMILY’s List challenged multiple FEC regulations regarding use of federal “hard money” to pay for activities directed at both state and federal elections. In 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down three challenged FEC regulations, holding that they...

In 2006, litigant Caperton filed a motion requesting that Justice Brent Benjamin of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia recuse himself from the appeal of the $50 million jury verdict in a contract dispute between two litigant mining companies. The U.S. Supreme Court held “that there is a...

In July 2006, the local chamber of commerce (COMPAC) challenged San Jose’s limits on contributions to political committees making only independent expenditures in municipal elections. The district court struck down the limits on September 20, 2006. On October 14, 2008, the Ninth Circuit vacated...

In June 2006, self-funded candidate Jack Davis filed suit in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia challenging the “Millionaire’s Amendment” of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (a.k.a. McCain-Feingold Law). The U.S. Supreme Court held that the Millionaire’s Amendment...

In July 2006, Representatives Shays and Meehan challenged regulations promulgated by the FEC in response to an earlier case litigated by the Congressmen (Shays I). In June 2008, the Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision invalidating almost all sections challenged by plaintiffs in the FEC’s...

In September 2004, the WA State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) filed an enforcement action against the 527 group Voter Education Committee (VEC) for the organization’s failure to register as a state political committee and comply with state disclosure requirements. VEC filed a counter-suit...

On October 2, 2014, Citizens for Responsible Government Advocates (CRG) filed suit to challenge Wisconsin state laws and regulations governing spending by outside groups coordinated with candidates. On November 6, 2014, the district court entered the parties’ stipulated preliminary injunction...

In July 2008, The Real Truth About Obama filed suit to enjoin four FEC regulations governing when independent groups must register as federal political committees and comply with the applicable federal restrictions and disclosure requirements...

In 2007, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, held that BCRA’s prohibition on corporate electioneering communications—defined as broadcast ads within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election that named a candidate and were targeted at the relevant voters—was unconstitutional as...

In 2006, the Christian Civic League challenged the constitutionality of BCRA’s electioneering communications provision as applied to advertisement CCL alleged it wished to broadcast naming a candidate during the period before the election.

In February 2005, ballot measure committee Citizens to Save California challenged a California Fair Political Practices Commission regulation establishing a presumption that all contributions to a candidate-controlled ballot measure committee are contributions to a candidate for elective state...

In April 2006, mayoral candidate Michael Nutter filed suit to enforce Philadelphia’s newly-enacted contribution limits in connection to several individuals who allegedly were exploring mayoral candidacies but not abiding by those limits. In December 2007, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania upheld...

In September 2004, Reps. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the FEC’s failure to issue a rule regulating so-called 527 groups as “political committees” under federal campaign finance law. The court...

In August 2005, a constitutional challenge was filed against various provisions of North Carolina’s public financing system for judicial elections. In May 2008, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld all challenged provisions of North Carolina’s judicial election public financing program...

Illinois’ highest court selects its judges through partisan elections. This case reached that court in 2002 following a $1.05 billion verdict against State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Company...

The U.S. Supreme Court granted cert on the questions of whether Vermont’s candidate expenditure limits contribution limits ranging from $200-$400 per candidate violate the First Amendment. The Court struck down both the expenditure limits and the contributions limits...

In August 2000, California Pro-Life Council (CPLC) filed a constitutional challenge to California’s reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to groups advocating for or against state ballot measures. In November 2007, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court in part...

In October 2002, Reps. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the FEC challenging 19 regulations adopted by the FEC to implement Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). In September 2004, the District...