Organizations Call on New York Legislature to Pass Bill Closing Double Jeopardy Loophole Posted on April 10, 2019 (April 12, 2019) Today, Free Speech For People, and a coalition of national organizations, issued a letter to the New York legislature in support of a bill pending before the state legislature to close the double jeopardy loophole in New York State before the President begins to issue pardons. New York State law may currently allow certain defendantsRead More
Public Interest Groups to EPA: Constitution Forbids Weakening Clean Water Protections to Benefit Trump’s Golf Courses Posted on April 5, 2019 (April 15, 2019) Challenging Corruption Free Speech For People and the New Jersey-based Raritan Headwaters Association filed a comment arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are constitutionally prohibited from relaxing a Clean Water Act protection so as to benefit presidentially-owned golf courses. Background The process for this rule has been somewhat complex. In 2015,Read More
Ron Fein on Rising Up With Sonali: What Does the End of the Mueller Probe Mean? Posted on April 3, 2019 Last week, Free Speech For People Legal Director, Ron Fein, sat down with Sonali Kolhatkar, on Rising Up With Sonali, to discuss the end of the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and its implications for Trump’s future. In his summary, Attorney General William Barr quotes Mueller’s report directly: “while this report does not concludeRead More
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