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Feb 15, 2008 -- Legal Center Weekly Report: February 15, 2008
Campaign Legal Center Executive Director, J. Gerald Hebert, issued a statement on February 14 commending the American Bar Association (ABA) for joining the growing list of organizations supporting redistricting reform. The ABA passed the resolution at its midyear meeting urging states to utilize independent commissions for redistricting in order to remove the process from politically self-interested state legislators and incumbents. In his role as a member of the ABA's Administrative Law Section, Hebert helped draft the resolution that was approved.
Hebert stressed in his statement that redistricting decisions are too often made for purely partisan purposes and ultimately it is the voters of both parties who suffer. "Democrats and Republicans alike have gained and lost seats unfairly through the heavy-handed tactics of state legislatures that gerrymander districts such that the electoral outcome is foreordained," Hebert emphasized. The result has been the elimination of competitive districts and with it the elimination of more moderate representatives who are more likely to be attentive to a broader community.
The recognition of the need for a more fair redistricting process has created a groundswell among organizations across the political spectrum and has led to the creation of Americans for Redistricting Reform - an initiative of the Campaign Legal Center scheduled to launch later this year.
CLC Policy Director Speaks on Ethics in Government at GMU
Meredith McGehee, Campaign Legal Center Policy Director, was featured as a guest speaker at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University on Tuesday. As part of a three work course entitled "Big Money and American Democracy," McGehee delivered a presentation on "Ethics and Government." McGehee discussed congressional reform efforts of the past and focused on more recent laws and bills such as the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act as well as the Presidential Public Funding Act of 2007.
On February 15th, the Campaign Legal Center and other reform groups sent a letter to Senator Obama urging him to stand by his commitment to participate in the presidential public financing system should he become his party's nominee and if his opponent does the same. In 2007, Senator Obama and his spokesperson, Bill Burton, pledged repeatedly to utilize public funding in that scenario. Recent press reports have quoted Mr. Burton stating that the commitment made last year is an "option," not a pledge. The statement has caused widespread concern among reform groups like the Campaign Legal Center who continually stress the importance of the system as a way to reduce the influence of money in elections.
The Legal Center's Paul S. Ryan was featured Thursday on the San Francisco Public Radio KALW 91.7 show Your Call for an hour-long discussion of the currently-non-functioning Federal Election Commission, campaign finance law generally and the 2008 elections in particular. Mr. Ryan was joined on the program by Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics, whose comments focused on fundraising and spending trends among Presidential candidates in this year's election.
Legal Center Blog Highlights
Each week, the Campaign Legal Center staff posts blog entries on its site, www.clcblog.org. To sign up for the blog, click here.
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