The latest from Campaign Legal Center. 

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CLC's Danielle Caputo moderates a panel for the Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference in December 2022. CLC's Kedric Payne sits next to his fellow ethics panelists with a big smile on his face.
CLC ethics team members Danielle Caputo (moderator, standing) and Kedric Payne (seated first on the right) discuss tools to fight corruption and promote stronger ethics laws during a panel at the recent Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) Conference in December. Photo by CLC's Aaron McKean.


** Our Democracy Needs Stronger Ethics Laws
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To fight corruption and restore public trust, CLC is advocating for stronger ethics laws across all three branches of government.

In Congress, we want to see a stronger Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and the establishment of an independent ethics committee for the Senate. Over 90% of voters across party lines support increasing enforcement of ethics rules for members of Congress, which is why making the OCE a permanent entity ([link removed]) and creating a similar watchdog in the Senate are a must.

Without an independent body like the OCE, the Senate relies entirely on a system of self-policing. The unsurprising result of that being that members are rarely held accountable. In 2022, nearly all 92 ethics violations reported to the Ethics Committee were dismissed ([link removed]) .

The Supreme Court also continues to demonstrate why it needs mandatory ethics rules. Headlines throughout last year included allegations of violations of recusal requirements, breaches of confidentiality and improper influence by special interests. There were also two congressional hearings about Supreme Court ethics (CLC provided expert testimony at one of them ([link removed]) ). The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States with the lowest ethical standards. It needs mandatory ethics rules and a formal process for investigating ethics violations. ([link removed])

Lastly, CLC continues to call on President Joe Biden to fulfill the ethics reform promises he made on the campaign trail ([link removed]) , particularly with regard to members of Congress trading stocks ([link removed]) . Voters have a right to know that elected officials are serving the public interest and not their own wallets.
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CLC Explains: Kedric Payne on the Office of Congressional Ethics ([link removed])
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Voters have a right to know that their lawmakers will be held accountable when they behave unethically. CLC's Senior Director of Ethics, Kedric Payne explains why the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) is essential for independent oversight and accountability in Congress.

Watch now. ([link removed])

Watch CLC’s library of micro-explainer videos, featuring members of our team discussing the significant issues our democracy faces now, on YouTube. ([link removed])
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** Super PAC Deals Are Bad for Democracy ([link removed])
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When super PACs backed by millions in special interest money make deals to influence elected officials, voters’ voices are effectively silenced.

Read more. ([link removed])

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** Trump’s Abuse of Recount Funds Shows the Need for Clear Regulations ([link removed])
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It's time for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to clearly define the legal guardrails around how recount funds can be used.

Read more. ([link removed])


** CLC Events in February
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This month, we’re hosting two free virtual events on topics that merit more attention.
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This Friday, CLC will host Redboxing 101 ([link removed]) , a discussion on the brazen campaign practice of redboxing, with campaign finance experts Saurav Ghosh of CLC, Jordana Greenwald of the Philadelphia Ethics Board and John Marion of Common Cause Rhode Island. CLC's Aaron McKean will moderate.


** RSVP for Redboxing 101. ([link removed])
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On February 24, we’ll discuss how court decisions influenced Election 2022 outcomes during Fair Maps for the People ([link removed]) . Slate's Mark Joseph Stern will moderate our event with redistricting and democracy experts Mark Gaber of CLC, Ruth Greenwood of Harvard Law School’s Election Law Clinic and Mark Niesse of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.


** RSVP for Fair Maps for the People. ([link removed])
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Campaign Legal Center is advancing democracy through law.
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