The Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently announced a $16,000 civil penalty against a political campaign, to settle allegations that the campaign had inappropriately used FEC contributor data in an algorithm used to aid its fundraising. The settlement is the latest
Political Law Briefing
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Federal Contractor Pays Record Fine For Illegal Contribution
A federal government contractor has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $125,000 for making prohibited contributions to super PACs. The penalty is the largest the Federal Election Commission has obtained for violating the ban on federal contractor contributions.
According…
U.S. Supreme Court Finds California Donor Disclosure Law Unconstitutional
On July 1, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the consolidated case Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta in favor of the nonprofit organizations that brought the suits, holding California’s donor disclosure law to be unconstitutional because it violates the First…
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on California Donor Disclosure Cases
On April 26, 2021, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the consolidated case Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta,1 which argues that California’s donor disclosure law is unconstitutional under the First Amendment because it will discourage donors from contributing due to…
New Nonprofit Filing Requirements in New York
Charitable and social welfare organizations that file annual financial reports with the New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau now must file those reports—and potentially two other reports—with the New York Department of State. These requirements are a result of changes…
Nonprofits Weigh in on California Donor Disclosure Cases Before U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review two similar constitutional challenges to California’s law requiring that charitable organizations registered to fundraise in the state disclose the names and addresses of their major donors: Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Becerra (No. …
Federal Election Commission Announces New Contribution Limits for 2021-2022 Cycle
Every two years, the FEC indexes certain contribution limits to inflation. New contribution limits for the 2021-2022 election cycle were announced on Tuesday.
Individuals may now give $2,900 per candidate, per election (with the primary and general elections considered separate…
Biden Requires Ethics Pledge from Executive Branch Appointees, While Trump Appointees Are Released from Theirs
The ethics rules that apply to presidential appointees have undergone significant changes this month, with wide-ranging implications for incoming Biden appointees and their former employers, as well as for outgoing Trump officials and their prospective employers.
President Biden issued an…
DC Pay-to-Play Law on Pause
In 2018, the District of Columbia Council adopted a “pay-to-play” law banning political contributions from contractors and their senior officers that was scheduled to take effect on November 4, 2020. But like many other things in 2020, the rollout of…
Interacting with the Biden-Harris Transition Team and Inaugural Committee
As states across the country finalize and certify the results of the 2020 general election, President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris have begun preparing to assume control of the executive branch on January 20. The Biden-Harris…