Earlier this month, Campaign Legal Center Action filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and two political campaigns for violations of campaign finance laws. After the Federal Election Commission (FEC)—the government agency tasked with ensuring the integrity of federal political campaigns—failed to enforce the law, CLC Action and Giffords, a gun safety organization, sued the NRA directly.
Our suit details how the NRA illegally and surreptitiously contributed up to $35 million to several Senate campaigns during the 2014, 2016 and 2018 elections and the 2016 presidential campaign, in violation of federal law. CLC Action is fighting to ensure our laws are enforced, even when the FEC fails to act, as has routinely been the case over the past decade. With Giffords, we are urging the court to uphold our laws and hold the NRA accountable for violations dating back to 2014.
On Election Day, Virginia disproved the theory that high turnout and accessible voting inherently benefits one party over another. CLC’s president (and Virginia resident) Trevor Potter weighs in.
More enforcement by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) will help hold violators accountable and deter members from violating the law in the future by incentivizing compliance with the disclosure requirements.
Despite the setbacks they have faced, President Biden and the Senate must come together to enact vital voting rights legislation, says CLC’s Jo Deutsch.
The Electoral Count Act (ECA) has not been updated since it was first enacted over 130 years ago. A new poll commissioned by CLC and partners showed strong bipartisan support for updating the ECA.
Two weeks before Election Day, CLC hosted “Funded by the People,” a virtual event about the launch of the Fair Elections Program in the District of Columbia in 2020. The Fair Elections Program is an innovative system of public campaign financing intended to fundamentally transform the District’s electoral process. Its success could be a model for elections at the state and local level elsewhere.
A troubling trend of noncooperation with ethics inquiries shows that members of the House of Representatives who block investigations should be held accountable. Voters have a right to know that their elected officials are transparent.
November is Native American Heritage Month. Native American voters have faced extreme barriers to voting throughout history. CLC is honored to partner with Native American communities to protect the Freedom to Vote for Native American voters (including, most recently, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona). We also advocate for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would protect Native American voting rights.
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center is dedicated to advancing democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process.
