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Super PACs: Expanding Freedom of Speech

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Super PACs are simply groups of like-minded citizens pooling their resources to support or oppose political candidates independently of those candidates’ campaigns. The product of a unanimous U.S. Court of Appeals decision in SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission, super PACs have ensured that Americans do not lose their First Amendment rights when they join together in groups. Super PACs are…

SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission: Protecting the First Amendment Rights of Americans

March 26, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , , ,

SpeechNow extended First Amendment rights already protected for individuals to groups of people who pool their resources to speak. The case legalized what is ...

Understanding Super PACs

February 13, 2018   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

You’ve probably heard the term tossed around over the past couple of years, but what exactly is a “super PAC”? These organizations have been ...

If $1,000 is crumbs, as Nancy Pelosi says, then campaign disclosure laws are out of date 

February 8, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

“ Crumbs.” That’s how House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described the $1,000 bonuses paid to more than 200,000 AT&T employees as a result of ...

Super PACs: Expanding Freedom of Speech

October 30, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

The product of a 2010 court ruling, “super PACs” have been a boon to citizens wishing to more effectively speak about elections. Legally, they ...

New CED Study Dispels Myth of a ‘Wild West’ in Campaign Finance

July 26, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , , ,

Since Citizens United, the landscape of campaign finance law has often been described as a “wild west” where politicians, donors, and interest groups can ...

The “NO PAC Caucus” is Another Misguided – and Revealing – Campaign to Squash Free Speech

July 14, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

These days, supporters of increased political speech regulation often fixate on topics like super PACs and so-called “dark money” when fear-mongering about the current ...

CLC Says CCP’s Wrong about “Dark Money.” Here are the Facts. Readers can Decide.

May 9, 2017   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

In a blog post from earlier today, the Campaign Legal Center’s Brendan Fischer critiques a mid-April CCP blog post I authored highlighting “Five Lessons ...

Five Lessons about Spending in the 2016 Campaign You Might Have Missed

April 19, 2017   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , , , ,

The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) recently released their final tally of spending in the 2016 election cycle. Here are 5 takeaways: Despite hyperbolic ...

Ravel’s Support for Ending PACs Exposes Her Long-Term Policy Goals

April 12, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

When Ann Ravel resigned from her post at the Federal Election Commission earlier this year, she made it clear that her activism would continue ...

Opinion by Judge Diane Sykes in Barland II “One of the Strongest, Pro-Free Speech Circuit Opinions Post-Citizens United”

January 23, 2017   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

Hon. Diane Sykes United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2004-Present); Wisconsin Supreme Court (1999-2004); Milwaukee County Circuit Court (1992-1999) Using our ...

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