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CLC has joined a case defending a Wyoming law requiring political groups to disclose their “electioneering communications” in state elections — including the contributors who funded their campaign ads — to protect voters’ right to know which special interests are attempting to influence their votes...
CLC has sued the FEC for its dismissal of CLC’s July 2020 administrative complaint alleging that then-President Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign committee (and an associated joint fundraising committee) violated federal campaign finance transparency requirements by routing hundreds of millions of...
The FEC routinely fails to enforce campaign finance laws. Congress anticipated the possibility of FEC inaction and authorized lawsuits to compel agency enforcement actions. Realizing that FEC delays may persist even in the face of a court order, Congress also authorized citizen enforcement suits to...
After the FEC failed to take action for over three years, CLC filed suit against the dark money group Heritage Action for America to enforce disclosure laws. Heritage Action spent over $1 million to influence federal elections in 2018 cycle without reporting its funding sources.
To keep their electoral spending secret, wealthy special interests often funnel contributions through vaguely named LLCs or corporate entities — a violation of federal law that fundamentally undermines transparency. Campaign Legal Center (CLC) takes action to support robust enforcement of laws...
CLC has sued the FEC for its failure to act on CLC’s July 2020 administrative complaint alleging that then-President Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign committee (and an associated fundraising committee) violated federal campaign finance transparency requirements by routing hundreds of millions of...
CLC sued the Federal Election Commission for failing to enforce transparency laws, thereby allowing large, anonymous donors to funnel millions of dollars into political activity through 45Committee, a dark money group. After the FEC failed to act, the court authorized CLC to file suit against...
The health of our democracy depends on accountable, inclusive and transparent processes at all levels of government. CLC works with lawmakers, ethics commissions and other nonprofit groups in cities and states to provide guidance and propose solutions for stronger ethics at the state and local...
Members of Congress are elected to serve their constituents’ interests. Ethics laws provide the accountability and transparency necessary to ensure that members of Congress are committed to the people rather than their own wallets. CLC proposes solutions for stronger ethics in Congress and serves as...
Federal executive branch officials should make decisions with the public’s best interests in mind. Ethics laws are exist to maintain this high standard. CLC works to hold officials accountable to these laws laws and proposes stricter laws where needed to compel officials to serve the public’s...
Federal law limits candidates from using more than $250,000 in contributions raised post-election to repay personal loans candidates make to their campaigns. In 2018, Sen. Ted Cruz and his Senate campaign committee sued the FEC, complaining that this law violated the First Amendment.
CLC filed suit against Iowa Values, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the reelection of Sen. Joni Ernst, for failing to register as a PAC and disclose the sources and recipients of its election spending, depriving voters of the right to know who funded its efforts to influence a competitive Senate...
Congress should pass and President Biden should sign into law the Freedom to Vote Act. This sweeping, transformative bill would make the promise of democracy more real for us all by increasing Americans’ access to the freedom to vote, curbing gerrymandering and improving the functionality of the...
Many members of Congress actively involved in the buying and trading of stocks are failing to disclose such trades in a timely manner. This has led to a widespread, bipartisan trend of ethics violations. Penalties for this behavior, governed by an opaque system, are rare and nominal. Consequently...
To reduce corruption and hold senators accountable, an independent ethics committee focused on the Senate and made up of nonmembers must be established. Without ethics enforcement, members will continue to favor the priorities of donors and special interests. We need stronger ethics enforcement to...
CLC sued the FEC for failing to enforce federal transparency laws, enabling Big Tent Project, an entity funded by secret money, to avoid reporting its contributions, expenditures and debts. The FEC has failed to protect the public’s right to know who is seeking to influence elections.
CLC assisted in the successful defense of a Rhode Island transparency law requiring groups that spend significant amounts of money to influence state elections to disclose their spending and certain contributors to voters.
CLC sued the FEC for its failure to act on the administrative complaint filed against Heritage Action for not disclosing who paid for its election advertising during the 2018 election cycle, violating federal law and depriving voters of the right to know who funded its spending to influence...
CLC sued the FEC for its failure to act on an administrative complaint CLC had filed against Iowa Values, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the reelection of Sen. Joni Ernst. By failing to register with the FEC as a federal PAC, Iowa Values violated federal law and deprived voters of the right to...
For 30 years, the Texas Ethics Commission (the “Commission”) has deterred public corruption and provided transparency in elections by enforcing the state’s ethics, campaign finance and lobbying laws. CLC is urging the state circuit court to uphold the state’s constitution and allow the Commission to...