FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Analysis of Klobuchar-Warner-McCain Internet Ads Legislation (S. 1989, 115th Cong.): So-Called “Honest Ads Act” Is Dishonest About Its Effects

November 1, 2017   •  By Eric Wang   •  , ,

PDF of Legislative Brief available here Analysis of Klobuchar-Warner-McCain Internet Ads Legislation (S. 1989,[1] 115th Cong.) So-Called “Honest Ads Act” Is Dishonest About Its ...

Federal Election Commission v. Jeremy Johnson and John Swallow

John Swallow
October 23, 2017   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

Can the FEC punish an individual for giving advice? That is the question at the core of Federal Election Commission v. Jeremy Johnson and John ...

Lee Goodman Offers Spirited Defense of First Amendment in Campaign Finance Law

October 22, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

How big a problem is “dark money”? What about corporate spending in politics? Why doesn’t the FEC take a stronger stand against political activities ...

Brookings Institution Panel Says Democracy is in Crisis without (More) Regulation of Political Speech

September 28, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , , ,

On Wednesday, the Brookings Institution hosted an event entitled “Democracy at risk: Solving critical problems threatening U.S. elections.” It was billed as a discussion ...

Democracy = National Security ≠ Need for More Regulation of Political Speech

September 26, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

Last Wednesday, Issue One, a group that advocates for more government regulation of political speech, held an event at the Center for Strategic and ...

Former FEC Chair Bob Lenhard Discusses Campaign Finance Law, Foreign Intervention in U.S. Elections

Default Article
September 6, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Last Thursday, the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University hosted a discussion with Robert Lenhard, a former FEC commissioner and a partner ...

When Gridlock is Good

August 9, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

In recent months, a handful of members on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives have proposed legislation to change the ...

Time for Weintraub to Step Down?

June 5, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub’s actions in recent months cast serious doubt on whether she can continue to credibly carry on her duties as ...

We should oppose Ken Buck’s rotten proposal to dismantle the FEC

May 16, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Imagine you are a Republican. Would you agree to let the rules of political campaigns be written by a partisan committee selected by Barack ...

Is the Supreme Court about to give state and local political parties a boost?

May 10, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  , , ,

By Bradley A. Smith As part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" of 2002, virtually everything these local parties do was brought into the web ...

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