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Apr 17, 2007 -- Legal Center Weekly Report: April 13, 2007 Legal Center Files Amici Memorandum in Unity '08 Case
On April 11, 2007, the Legal Center, along with Democracy 21, filed a motion for leave to file an amici curiae memorandum and the memorandum itself in Unity08 v. FEC . This case concerns a challenge brought under the Administrative Procedures Act and the First Amendment to a recent advisory opinion issued by the FEC, which found that plaintiff Unity08 was a "political committee," subject to the restrictions and obligations of the Federal Election Campaign Act ("FECA"). In the memorandum, the Legal Center made two major arguments: 1) that the FEC correctly advised Unity08 that its proposed activities would render it a federal political committee; and 2) that the FEC's determination that Unity08 is a "political committee" does not violate the First Amendment.
Legal Center 's Associate Legal Counsel Participates in WRTL Panel Discussion
The Legal Center's Associate Legal Counsel Paul S. Ryan participated in a panel discussion Thursday on the upcoming Supreme Court case FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life . The event was sponsored by the American Constitution Society and featured, in addition to Mr. Ryan, attorneys Michael B. Trister, Benjamin L. Ginsberg, Adam C. Bonin, and was moderated by Professor Amanda Frost of the American University Washington College of Law. Panelists debated the constitutionality of the BCRA "electioneering communications" provisions at issue in WRTL , with Mr. Ryan arguing that the BCRA provisions are constitutional as applied to WRTL's ads, while Messrs. Trister, Ginsberg, and Bonin argued that the constitution requires an exemption for WRTL's ads. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Wednesday, April 25, 2007.
Legal Center Blog Highlights
Each week, the Campaign Legal Center staff posts blog entries on its site, www.clcblog.org . Click to read this week's entry: "BCRA: Success of Failure" or to sign up for blog updates, click here .
Week in the News
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