McConnell v. FEC, 15 Years Later Posted on December 10, 2018 Democracy Amendments Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, a case that points to a future that could have been. The case The case was born out of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as McCain-Feingold after its two Senate sponsors, John McCain (R-Ariz.)Read More
Harvard Law and Policy Review: Exposing Exxon’s Ham-Fisted Attempts to Wield a Weaponized First Amendment Posted on December 6, 2018 In an article for Harvard Law and Policy Review, Free Speech For People Senior Counsel, Shanna Cleveland, details Exxon’s misuse of the First Amendment, and fabricated claim of corporate constitutional rights, to evade accountability for potentially misleading statements made by the corporation regarding the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. Exxon’s claims of freeRead More
Closing a Dangerous Loophole in Massachusetts’ Campaign Finance Practice Posted on December 6, 2018 (December 6, 2018) Few Americans want to see more money in politics these days. In fact, almost 80% favor limiting big donations, voicing concerns about the integrity of our democracy. But today Free Speech For People will be testifying at a public hearing to close an arbitrary loophole that has been allowing politically savvy groups to avoid registeringRead More
Rashida Tlaib Delivers ‘The Constitution Demands It’ to New Members of Congress Posted on December 6, 2018 (December 17, 2018) On November 27, 2018, US Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib delivered our book, ‘The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump’, to every new member of Congress.Read More
Ben Clements joins Weekends with Alex Witt to Discuss the Mueller Investigation Posted on December 3, 2018 (December 3, 2018) On December 2, 2018, Free Speech For People Board Chair, Ben Clements, joined Weekends with Alex Witt on MSNBC to discuss the latest developments in the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and holding the President accountable to the law. In addition to the Mueller investigation, Free Speech For People launched, in January 2017, aRead More
FSFP and National Election Defense Coalition Demand Records on Texas’s Voting Machine Problems Posted on November 28, 2018 Free Speech For People and our partners at the National Election Defense Coalition today submitted a request for records under the Texas Public Information Act for information about a serious voting machine problem that manifested during the 2018 general election. Background About 82 of Texas’s 254 counties (including some of its most populous) use the obsoleteRead More
Split Decision from the Ninth Circuit on the Alaska Campaign Finance Challenge Posted on November 27, 2018 Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a 2-1 decision in Thompson v. Hebdon, a case in which we filed an amicus brief. The court struck down Alaska’s limit on nonresident political contributions, over an important dissent by the chief judge of the circuit. Background The case involved challenges to fourRead More
Center for Public Integrity Reports on Our Fight Against Special Cryptocurrency Loophole Posted on November 19, 2018 (November 19, 2018) The Center for Public Integrity reported on Free Speech For People’s efforts to fight a cryptocurrency company’s request for a special loophole that could seriously undermine federal campaign finance law. As the article by Ashley Balcerzak explains: OsiaNetwork LLC, a newly formed limited liability company in Delaware, has asked the Federal Election Commission whether it’s legal for people to shareRead More
Center for Responsive Politics: Millions in Masked Money Funneled into 2018 Elections Posted on November 16, 2018 (November 16, 2018) In a report by The Center For Responsive Politics, spending by groups that only partially disclose their donors and by secret money groups dominated the 2018 midterm election cycle. According to federal election records at the time of reporting: Partially-disclosing groups have already reported $405 million in 2018 election spending…This is the third consecutive electionRead More
Watch: John Bonifaz and Jennifer Taub at the Nobody is Above the Law Rally Posted on November 15, 2018 (November 15, 2018) On November 10, 2018, Free Speech For People President, John Bonifaz, and Board Member, Jennifer Taub, spoke at a ‘Nobody is Above the Law’ rally in Northampton, MA. Similar rallies took place across the country in response to the President’s latest move to obstruct justice, by firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions (who had appropriately recusedRead More