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...

A county in Alabama successfully challenged the continued constitutionality of Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which contained a formula identifying those jurisdictions that had to comply with the “preclearance” requirements of Section 5—i.e., receive approval from the Department of Justice...

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...

The State of Texas unsuccessfully sought preclearance approval under the Voting Rights Act of its 2011 voter photo ID law (SB 14); a three-judge court found the State failed to prove the law was non-discriminatory. The Supreme Court vacated the judgment following its decision in Shelby County v...

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...

Plaintiff, North Carolina Right to Life, Inc., (“NCRL”) brought this action in 1999 challenging the constitutionality of North Carolina’s definition “political committee," trigger for when a communication constituted electoral advocacy requiring disclosure and the contribution limit applicable to...

In 2000, plaintiffs Christine Beaumont and North Carolina Right to Life (NCRL) challenged the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting corporations and labor unions from making direct contributions to candidates, as the prohibition applied to a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose was...

Plaintiffs filed suit seeking to block a nearly two-year investigation into alleged illegal coordination between Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and outside groups during the 2012 attempt to recall Walker. On September 24, 2014, the Seventh Circuit dismissed the suit...