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Jun 8, 2007 -- Legal Center Weekly Report: June 8, 2007
This week, after the indictment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), Campaign Legal Center Policy Director Meredith McGehee, released a statement , saying his indictment "should serve as a clarion call for Congress to follow through on its promise to 'drain the swamp.'"
McGehee added: "The indictment of Rep. Jefferson is a reminder that it is time for the Speaker's Ethics Task Force to step up to the plate with strong recommendations for an outside panel with real teeth because the current system has lost all credibility. The fact that some have been burned does not mean the current ethics enforcement system is working; it only means that the criminal justice system is working. The American people deserve better from their elected representatives."
On June 7, J. Gerald Hebert sent a letter to the Senate Rules Committee regarding the upcoming FEC confirmation hearing of Hans von Spakovsky. In the letter, Hebert urged the Committee to closely scrutinize von Spakovsky's record at the Department of Justice to determine "whether or not he meets the qualifications of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) which states that Commissioners shall be chosen 'on the basis of their experience, integrity, impartiality and good judgment.'"
Hebert noted that von Spakovsky was not worthy of Senate confirmation "because his lack of even-handedness and impartiality while at DOJ diminished the rights of minority voters—victims of discrimination that Mr. von Spakovsky was duty bound to protect."
Mr. von Spakovsky's confirmation hearing before the Senate Rules Committee is set for June 13. He currently holds a recess appointment at the FEC.
Oral Argument in Connecticut Campaign Finance Case
On Wednesday, June 6, 2007, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut heard oral argument on motions to dismiss and for judgment on the pleadings in the consolidated cases, Green Party of Connecticut v. Garfield and Association of CT Lobbyists v. Garfield. Lawyers representing the State of Connecticut and intervening-defendants argued that the Court should dismiss plaintiffs' claims challenging the public financing provisions of Connecticut's campaign finance law. Suzanne Novak, an attorney with the Brennan Center, presented oral argument for the intervening defendants. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court (Underhill, J.) took the motions under advisement.
The Campaign Legal Center is serving as co-counsel for the intervening defendants with the Brennan Center, Democracy 21, Donald J. Simon of Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, and the law firms, WilmerHale and Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P.
To read a variety of this week's editorials and articles on a variety of Campaign Legal Center issues, please click here. |
