Independent groups
Politico: GOP mega-donors slow to switch candidates
by Robin BravenderBig GOP super PAC donors have been stubbornly standing by their favorite presidential candidates — even those with doomed campaigns.
The New Republic: Crankocracy In America
by Timothy NoahWho really benefitted from Citizens United?
Washington Post: Super PACs, donors turn sights on judicial branch
by Brady DennisThe invitation to the event had asked for a “suggested contribution” of $500 to each of three candidates, who were now mingling sheepishly among the crowd. They were no ordinary politicians. In fact, they weren’t politicians at all, but rather Florida Supreme Court justices. Each has been in office since the 1990s, each retained by voters overwhelmingly in previous elections, and each now reluctantly campaigning — for the first time.
Wall Street Journal: US Joins Countries Not Enforcing Campaign-Finance Regulations
by Samuel RubenfeldVery few countries enforce campaign-finance regulations even if they exist, the latest edition of the Global Integrity report found.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Washington Post: Judicial activists in the Supreme Court
EJ DioneThree days of Supreme Court arguments over the health-care law demonstrated for all to see that conservative justices are prepared to act as an alternative legislature, diving deeply into policy details as if they were members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Disclosure
Associated Press: Judge says groups can’t shield campaign donors
The Federal Election Commission overstepped its bounds in allowing groups that fund certain election ads to keep their financiers anonymous, a federal judge has ruled.
Bloomberg: Campaign Donor Advertising Rule Invalidated by U.S. Judge
by Tom Schoenberg and Jonathan D. SalantThe U.S. Federal Election Commission overstepped its authority by allowing groups that give money for election advertising to withhold the names of their donors from the public, a federal judge ruled.
Huffington Post: Koch Brothers, Chamber of Commerce Face Possible Campaign Donation Disclosure After Ruling
by Paul BlumethalThe court ruled in Van Hollen v. Federal Election Commission that the FEC rules that restricted campaign donor disclosure are not valid and must be changed to provide for disclosure.
Candidates and parties
Washington Post: Romney under fire for PAC donation to anti-gay marriage group
by Dan EggenA state political action committee run by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave $10,000 to a conservative group that has come under scrutiny for plans to “drive a wedge” between African-Americans and gays, according to documents revealed Friday.
Huffington Post: Joe Biden: If We Lose Election, It Could Be To ‘Barrage Of Super PAC Money’
by Jennifer Bendery“I don’t think we’ll be beaten by those candidates,” Biden told supporters at a Chicago fundraiser, per a White House pool report. “I think we’ll be beaten, if we are, by something happening in the Eurozone or something happening in the Gulf, which could be difficult for us, or this barrage of super PAC money.”
Washington Post: Anti-incumbent super PAC targets Rep. Jim Moran
by Ben PershingAn unusual new super PAC that targets lawmakers from both parties now has a Virginian in its sights: Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D).
Lobbying and ethics
The Hill: Old foes McCain and Abramoff find truce on campaign finance work
By Jordy YagerIn 2005, McCain earned a badge of ethical pride as the head of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee who dragged Abramoff’s backroom dealings through the public spotlight in a crusade to reveal public corruption on Capitol Hill.
