Ron Fein and Larry Tribe for the New York Daily News: Close N.Y.’s double jeopardy loophole before Trump starts issuing pardons Posted on April 2, 2019 (April 10, 2019) In an editorial for the New York Daily News, Free Speech For People Legal Director, Ron Fein, and Harvard Law Professor, Laurence Tribe, discuss the urgent need for the New York Legislature to close a double jeopardy loophole in state law which may currently allow certain defendants pardoned by the president for their federal crimesRead More
Campaign Finance Without Facts: McCutcheon v. FEC on its Fifth Anniversary Posted on April 2, 2019 (April 2, 2019) Democracy Amendments April 2 is the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. In that case, the Court struck down contribution limits that limited any one person from giving more than $123,200 to all federal campaigns, parties, and political committees combined. The Court dismissed as “divorced from reality” concerns about howRead More
Help Close the Double-Jeopardy Loophole in New York State for Defendants Pardoned by the President Posted on April 1, 2019 (May 13, 2020) Challenging Corruption Join Free Speech For People for a call with the New York Attorney General’s office to learn more about the bill pending in the New York Legislature to close the double jeopardy loophole in New York state. The loophole that exists currently makes it difficult, if not impossible, for New York prosecutors to hold defendantsRead More
Trump’s hush money payments to influence the election are grounds for impeachment Posted on April 1, 2019 (April 1, 2019) Impeachment President Trump has been directly implicated—by his own personal lawyer—in a criminal conspiracy to illegally influence the election. This justifies an impeachment investigation. Facts On August 21, 2018, President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges. Two of those charges stem directly from criminal actions that he took at the directionRead More
Impeachment and Attacking the Freedom of the Press: A Lesson from History Posted on March 31, 2019 (March 31, 2019) Impeachment April 1 marks the anniversary of the impeachment of a federal judge who was impeached nearly a century ago for misconduct that included abusing his power to attack the press. As we explained in The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump, one major reason for the House of Representatives notRead More
Impeachment Inquiry Resolution Formally Introduced into House of Representatives Posted on March 28, 2019 (March 28, 2019) Impeachment A resolution to authorize the House Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment inquiry has been introduced into the House of Representatives by Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, joined by Representative Al Green of Texas. The resolution is patterned on the February 1974 resolution that authorized an impeachment inquiry against President Richard Nixon. As we explainedRead More
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib to Introduce Impeachment Resolution Posted on March 25, 2019 (March 25, 2019) Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib will introduce this week a resolution to formally begin an impeachment investigation of the President. The resolution will address multiple impeachable offenses committed by the President, including violations of the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution, illegal payments made to influence the 2016 Presidential election, and obstruction of justice. WhileRead More
Free Speech For People and allies file amicus brief supporting Seattle’s democracy voucher program Posted on March 22, 2019 Free Speech For People and Demos filed an amicus brief in the Washington Supreme Court in the case of Elster v. City of Seattle. Our brief helps defend the city against a constitutional challenge to Seattle’s “democracy voucher” program, a nationally-recognized public campaign financing system enacted by voter initiative in 2015 and first used in theRead More
Free Speech For People Joins Allies Supporting Transparency in Presidential Pardons Posted on March 21, 2019 (March 21, 2019) Today, a coalition of organizations including Protect Democracy, Free Speech For People, and others sent a letter to Congressman Adam Schiff, who has introduced a bill designed to improve transparency in presidential pardons. The key part of Schiff’s bill says: In the event that the President grants an individual a pardon for an offense againstRead More
Appeal Filed, Federal Appeals Court to Review a Case that Could End Super PACs Posted on March 18, 2019 Today, we filed a notice of appeal in Lieu v. Federal Election Commission, the case that could end super PACs. This notice of appeal starts the process by which the U.S. Court of Appeals will soon have the opportunity to review its 2010 ruling which created super PACs. Lieu v. Federal Election Commission, which wasRead More