Ron Fein: When Judges Pass The Collection Plate, Justice Suffers Posted on January 30, 2015 (April 23, 2015) In his latest op-ed, Free Speech For People’s legal director, Ron Fein digs in on Justice Scalia, campaign finance, the Williams-Yulee case, and what it all means in the big scheme of preserving judicial dignity. The aptly titled piece,”When Judges Pass the Collection Plate, Justice Suffers” is featured today on The Daily Caller. An excerptRead More
John Bonifaz Testifies Before New Hampshire House and Senate On An Amendment To Overturn Citizens United Posted on January 29, 2015 (January 30, 2015) Our American democracy is in crisis. The voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by big money interests. And the very core of our First Amendment is in jeopardy because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest rulings. Yes, we are talking about Citizens United. The American people recognize this, and the people of New Hampshire have set out to overturn Citizens United with a 28th amendment. Today, John Bonifaz testified before the New Hampshire House and Senate in a hearing calling for the enactment of a 28th Amendment to end the big money dominance of our politics and restore a government of, by, and for the people. Free Speech For People strongly supports House Bill 371 and Senate Bill 136. Read More
FSFP Files Amicus Brief Before U.S. Court of Appeals In New York Republican State Committee v. SEC Posted on January 27, 2015 (May 26, 2015) Our brief argues that the rule protects the First Amendment rights of public employees by preventing investment advisers from using a portion of their pension money to pay for political spending. The SEC had been working on this rule since the 1990s, but finalized it after a “pay-to-play” scandal involving the New York City pension system. The challengers claim that it forces investment advisers to choose between either making political contributions or practicing their chosen profession.Read More
Democracy For All Amendment Re-Introduced In 114th Congress With More Than 100 Sponsors Posted on January 23, 2015 (June 30, 2015) On January 21, 2015—the fifth anniversary of the Citizens United ruling—the Democracy For All Amendment was reintroduced to the 114th Congress. The bill has been reintroduced in the House and Senate as H.J. Res. 22 and S.J. Res. 5. The bill language is attached in a .pdf to this blog post. The sponsors of theRead More
Stream Audio From Williams-Yulee Case Posted on January 23, 2015 (November 9, 2020) Democracy Amendments On January 20th, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Williams-Yulee, a Florida case challenging the Florida Bar’s rule prohibiting candidates for judgeship from personally soliciting campaign funds. Stream audio from the Williams-Yulee case. Read More
The 28th Amendment Reintroduced In 114th Congress On Day Of Citizens United 5th Anniversary Posted on January 22, 2015 (June 30, 2015) Democracy Amendments On January 21st—the 5th anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission—more than 100 Senators and Representatives reintroduced a constitutional amendment that would overturn the ruling and restore democracy to the people. Read More
FSFP Proudly Supports Rep. Keith Ellison’s (MN) New Bill Limiting Corporate Felons’ Ability To Influence Elections Posted on January 21, 2015 (February 13, 2015) We’re excited that Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota has announced that he will introduce in Congress the new “Protect Democracy From Criminal Corporations Act.” This bold new legislation is an important step toward undoing the damage of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and restoring control over our democracy. Corporations that have already committed major criminal felonies haveRead More
Free Speech For People Is Expanding The Constitutional Conversation With Justice Scalia on Williams-Yulee Posted on January 21, 2015 (June 16, 2015) Free Speech For People’s Legal Advocacy Program aims to “expand the constitutional conversation” about money in politics. Based on yesterday’s Supreme Court argument in a case involving judges soliciting campaign contributions, it appears that we’ve expanded that conversation in an unlikely direction: Justice Scalia. Some background: 30 of the 39 states that elect their judges have an ethics rule that prohibits judges (or aspiring judges) from soliciting contributions. That doesn’t mean their campaigns can’t raise money—it just means that someone else (a volunteer, friend, or campaign employee) has to make the “ask.” Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar, which challenges this “anti-solicitation” rule as violating freedom of speech under the First Amendment. Free Speech For People, along with Board member and retired Montana Supreme Court Justice the Honorable James Nelson, filed an amicus brief in support of Florida’s rule. So did many of our allies. But our argument was a little different from theirs.Read More
The Top Five Myths About The Democracy For All Amendment Posted on January 21, 2015 (June 30, 2015) Democracy Amendments Free Speech For People President and Co-Founder, John Bonifaz explains to the American Constitution Society the five major myths about the Democracy For All Amendment. Read More
Legal Director Ron Fein Joins Release Of New MASSPIRG-Demos Report On “The Money Chase” Posted on January 14, 2015 (January 30, 2015) Today on the steps of Ashburton Place in Boston, a host of public interest organizations gathered for the release of a new report documenting the dominance of big money in the November 2014 Congressional elections. Authored by MASSPIRG and Demos, the report calls for solutions moving big money dominance to small donors.Read More