“Reformers” are Trading their Heroes for Ghosts

September 1, 2015   •  By Brian Walsh   •  ,

Ladies and gentlemen: it’s election season. If you happen to get past the vertigo-inducing amount of candidates and polling data, you will also notice ...

Attention Members of Congress: Super PACs Disclose Their Donors

August 23, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

We often read articles and letters to the editor from individuals demanding the full disclosure of donors to Super PACs. It is an understandable ...

The False Heroics of False Statement Laws

August 14, 2015   •  By Brian Walsh   •  ,

When someone suggests prohibiting ‘false statements’ in campaigns, your gut reaction might be to nod your head in agreement. This might come from a ...

Political Spending Isn’t Choking Out Competition. Campaign Finance Regulations Are.

August 3, 2015   •  By Brian Walsh   •  ,

Inequality is the word of the moment. You can’t go anywhere without hearing it thrown around. Usually, this word evokes images of the discrepancy ...

Wisconsin’s "John Doe" Decision: More than "Reformers" Can Handle

July 30, 2015   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Two weeks ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court sent a shock wave through campaign finance watchers with its decision in Two Unnamed Petitioners v. Peterson. ...

In the Dark about “Dark Money”

July 30, 2015   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

A short while back, on Professor Rick Hasen’s invaluable listserv, there was a spirited discussion about the meaning of “dark money” as used in ...

The Campaign Finance ‘Zombies’ Have Spoken. Their Answer? Reform. Again.

July 28, 2015   •  By Brian Walsh   •  , ,

Crazy. Ravenous. Damnable. Taken together, this assortment of words would be best used to describe the undead or what are better known as ‘zombies.’ ...

The Donald and Donor Disclosure

July 20, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Since the announcement of his Presidential campaign, there has been a near constant stream of mockery targeting Donald Trump. And rightly so. The aspiring ...

On Campaign Pledges and “Money in Politics”

July 9, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Concerned with the threat of climate change, editors at The Nation have asked all of the presidential candidates to sign a pledge. The pledge ...

Wagner, Super PAC Contributions, and the SEC

July 9, 2015   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  ,

Following this week’s en banc D.C. Circuit ruling in Wagner v. FEC, some commentators have suggested that the federal ban on contractor contributions should ...

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