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
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 entityand creating a similar watchdog in the Senate are a must.
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). 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.
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.
This month, we’re hosting two free virtual events on topics that merit more attention.
This Friday, CLC will host Redboxing 101, 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.
On February 24, we’ll discuss how court decisions influenced Election 2022 outcomes during Fair Maps for the People. 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.
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.
