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…

The Lonely Death of Public Campaign Financing

January 1, 2010   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

It may be a cliché to observe that campaign finance reform has proved conclusively that the road to perdition is paved with good intentions and that ...

The Devil We Know? Evaluating the FEC as Enforcer

September 16, 2009   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces federal election laws. But campaign finance reformers have argued for years that the FEC does little to stem ...

Deadlocked Votes Among Members of the Federal Election Commission: Overview and Potential Considerations for Congress

August 3, 2009   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

In the mid-1970s, Congress designed the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to be a bipartisan independent regulatory agency. By congressional design, the agency’s structure is intended ...

Comments of the Center for Competitive Politics on the Draft Advisory Opinion

October 22, 2008   •  By IFS staff   •  , ,

As the Commission is aware, the advisory opinion was requested by the National Right to Life Committee, Inc. (NRLC), “a non-stock, not-for-profit corporation, exempt from ...

Amicus Brief: Shays v. FEC

February 21, 2007   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

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Racing to Absurdity: What would Dale Earnhardt Do?

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December 26, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The FEC announced today its decisions in a couple of "MURs" (that's "Matters Under Review" for you normal folk).   The one

Now this is kinda funny!

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December 24, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Light blogging through the New Year doesn't mean that we can't share a good laugh.  Fortunately, the humorless "reform" community is always there to ...

WRTL v. FEC: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

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December 22, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

In a bit of welcome news for the Free Speech Community, a special three judge district court has ruled ...

Millionaire’s Amendment MUR Madness

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December 21, 2006   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

We always knew that the so-called "Millionaire's Amendment" was a silly law, but if the FEC's most recent pronouncement on the law's requirements is ...

Disclosure versus Snooping: Do ‘reformers’ know the difference?

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December 19, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The Federal Election Commission has adopted new guidelines requiring political committees to include more information about the purposes of their various disbursements.  It goes ...

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