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Oct 26, 2007 -- Legal Center Weekly Report: October 26, 2007
This week, reform groups sent a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urging the Senators to vote for S.1946, the Public Prosecution Improvements Act of 2007, when it is considered by the committee.
According to the letter, "The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), is essential to strengthening the public corruption laws and increasing the ability of federal prosecutors to hold public officials accountable for misuse and abuse of their office."
The reform groups include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.
Legal Center Executive Director J. Gerald Hebert spoke this week at a charter revision committee hearing held by the City of Austin, Texas. The Charter Revision Committee is charged with reviewing and reporting on the advisability of a charter amendment proposing single-member districts or a representation framework that includes both single-member and at-large seats for council member elections.
The topic was the advisability of changing the method of election for members of the city council. Austin currently elects its six-member city council at large (i.e., citywide), with numbered positions, and the charter revision committee is exploring whether to recommend a change to a district-type election system. At the hearing this week, Hebert presented 3 different demonstration plans: a 6 district, an 8 district, and a 10 district plan. The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the city council by the end of this year.
Both the FEC and plaintiff Shays have appealed the ruling by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in the Shays III case that the FEC's interpretation of a number of BCRA provisions - including coordination standards - did not meet the basic requirement of 'reasoned decisionmaking' in the Administrative Procedures Act. The FEC's notice of appeal was filed October 16, 2007. The cross appeal notice filed by plaintiff Shays this week appeals that part of the District Court's September 12 order "insofar as that Order denies any of Representative Shays's claims or requested relief."
The Campaign Legal Center serves as counsel to Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russell Feingold (D-WI), who participated in the case as amici curiae in support of plaintiffs.
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 entries: "The Controversy Over Hans Von Spakovsky Is Bush's Fault," "House Hearing Will Spell More Trouble for von Spakovsky," "Bundling no byproduct of McCain-Feingold," and "von Spakovsky Just Can't Escape DOJ," or to sign up for the blog, click here.
To read a variety of this week's editorials and articles on a variety of Campaign Legal Center issues, please click here. |
