Legal Center Press Releases

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May 8, 2008 -- Senators Urged to Reject FEC Nominee

Today, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director J. Gerald Hebert sent a letter to the entire U.S. Senate urging them to vote against the confirmation of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission. Mr. Hebert outlines a number of instances where von Spakovsky abused federal law enforcement powers for partisan gain and to disfranchise voters, but focuses particularly on the false claims that a recent Supreme Court decision regarding Indiana's voter ID law somehow vindicates the nominee. This fiction is being advanced by the White House, von Spakovsky himself, and various other supporters, including some media outlets. The letter to Senators outlines the reality behind these false claims.

May 7, 2008 -- Wrong Victim at the FEC: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

The White House has thrown the wrong FEC nominee under the bus. Chairman David Mason has been cast aside by the White House for insufficient party fealty while the nomination of an unqualified but loyal partisan remains pending. It is a move sadly reminiscent of the U.S. Attorney purges.

May 1, 2008 -- FEC Deal Must Include Full Compliment of Commissioners: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

Troubling reports are emerging from Capitol Hill that a deal is being discussed to confirm Commissioners for only four of the six slots on the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The proposal is a recipe for continuing paralysis, not a tenable compromise.

May 1, 2008 -- Von Spakovsky Not Vindicated by Supreme Court Voter ID Decision: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

The recent Supreme Court decision on Indiana's voter ID law in no way vindicates Hans von Spakovsky's disgraceful record of vote suppression and partisanship while at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The controversial Federal Election Commission (FEC) nominee's recent claims are intentionally misleading and factually incorrect.

Apr 28, 2008 -- Supreme Court Indiana Voter ID Decision: No Carte Blanche for Violating Voting Rights of Poor, or Elderly, or Minority Voters - Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

While today's decision in the Indiana voter ID case comes as no great surprise, it is nonetheless disappointing. As the Campaign Legal Center noted in its amicus brief the voter ID law in Indiana was quite similar to many other historical measures enacted in our Nation's history (e.g., poll taxes, literacy tests, etc.) that disfranchised voters but, like voter ID laws, were advanced as good government reforms.

Apr 22, 2008 -- NAM's Supreme Court Denial and Upcoming Appeal: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

After failing to secure an emergency injunction in three federal courts in two business days, we are pleased to hear that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has not decided to grant itself one to avoid disclosing its funders and plans to file an amended report. We hope that NAM's amended filing will be submitted quickly as it is already overdue in violation of the statute.

Apr 21, 2008 -- NAM Appeal on Disclosing Donors Denied by Court of Appeals: Statement of Tara Malloy, Campaign Legal Center Associate Legal Counsel

The order today from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was another victory for the American public which deserves to know who is working behind the scenes to influence legislation and in some cases even election outcomes.

Apr 11, 2008 -- NAM Challenge to New Lobbying Law Dismissed: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

In the age of Jack Abramoff and a growing list of lobbying scandals, we applaud the federal court's decision to keep special interests from concealing their lobbying efforts. The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) attempt to gut disclosure provisions of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) was a blatant attempt to keep the public in the dark regarding those who spend huge amounts of money to influence policy anonymously.

Apr 10, 2008 -- Reform Groups Call on Representative Albert Wynn to Step Down from House Energy Committee

Apr 10, 2008 -- Rep. Wynn Should Leave Congress Immediately: Statement of Meredith McGehee, Campaign Legal Center Policy Director

In addition to signing on to a letter urging Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD) to step down from his position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Campaign Legal Center also calls on the Representative to resign from office altogether.

Apr 4, 2008 -- Legal Center Urges DOJ to Investigate Voter Intimidation

Today the Campaign Legal Center requested a full Justice Department investigation of potential violations of the Voting Rights Act stemming from intimidating flyers sent anonymously to homes in predominantly black precincts during a hotly contested Texas state house race. In 2006, the FBI chose not to investigate the matter brought to its attention by Project Vote, despite the fact that the flyer on its face is a clear effort to intimidate voters.

Mar 26, 2008 -- Campaign Legal Center Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Case Challenging BCRA's Millionaire's Amendment

The Campaign Legal Center, joined by three other organizations (Democracy 21, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, and Public Citizen) is filing a friend-of-the-court brief today with the Supreme Court in a case challenging the so-called Millionaire's Amendment to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). The Millionaire's Amendment is a provision of BCRA that temporarily raises contribution limits and suspends limits on spending coordinated with political parties for candidates who run against wealthy, self-financing opponents who spend personal funds in excess of a specified monetary threshold.

Mar 26, 2008 -- Department of Justice Response to Potential Violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center

The Justice Department's (DOJ) response to the Campaign Legal Center's January 31st inquiry concerning the Department's enforcement of the Lobbying Disclosure Act is disappointing and unhelpful. The response indicates simply that DOJ has in place a process for handling the hundreds of referrals it has received from the Secretary of the Senate, and that the referrals are being handled "appropriately". Unfortunately, this kind of pro forma action has become a hallmark of this Justice Department under this Administration.

Mar 26, 2008 -- New Lobbying and Ethics Rules 2 Pager

Since the passage of the Honest Government and Open Leadership Act (HLOGA) was enacted last year, various elements of the law have taken effect while others have not or are still being interpreted. The staff of the Campaign Legal Center has compiled a brief summary of the rules and their current status as of March 2008.

Mar 26, 2008 -- Updated HLOGA 2 Pager and Side - by - Side

Since the passage of the Honest Government and Open Leadership Act (HLOGA) was enacted last year, various elements of the law have taken effect while others have not or are still being interpreted. Click to find a brief summary and side-by-side breakdown of the rules and their current status as of March 2008.

Mar 20, 2008 -- Granite Broadcasting Offers Free Airtime to Candidates

The Public Interest Public Airwaves Coalition (PIPAC) commends Granite Broadcasting for its continued commitment to provide free airtime to candidates for public office during an election year. This fall Granite Broadcasting stations will once again make their production facilities available to candidates in the six weeks leading up to the 2008 elections.

Mar 13, 2008 -- No Final Answers in Voter Fraud Report Suppression Investigation: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

The flawed and vaguely worded report issued by the Inspector General involving a "Voter Fraud and Voter Intimidation Report" from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) raises more questions than it answers.

Mar 5, 2008 -- Legal Center Files in SpeechNow.org 527 Case: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Campaign Legal Center Executive Director

In a friend of the court brief filed earlier today, the Campaign Legal Center noted that the SpeechNow.org suit is nothing more than a petition urging the court to ignore decades of Supreme Court precedent and to reopen the corrupting soft-money spigots closed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA).

Mar 5, 2008 -- PIPAC Commends Scripps for Fulfillment of Public Interest Obligations

Feb 20, 2008 -- Reform Groups Send Letters to Candidates on Presidential Public Financing

On February 20, 2008, reform groups called on presidential candidates Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Governor Mike Huckabee and Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) to co-sponsor or endorse legislation pending in Congress to repair the presidential public financing system.

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