Election Law

Hillary: The Law Changer

Unusual pre-term rehearing may reshape campaign finance laws

Sep 2, 2009 2:30 AM CDT

Floyd Abrams and Ted Olson Squabble Over Oral Argument in FEC Case

As observers eagerly await a U.S. Supreme Court reargument next month in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, big-name lawyers are battling over who gets to make part of the oral presentation. Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson represents Citizens United. But, contending in a motion that Olson’s brief is…

Aug 14, 2009 7:40 PM CDT

Caperton Capers

Court’s recusal ruling sparks states to mull judicial contribution laws

Aug 2, 2009 1:30 AM CDT

Standing Together

Government branches addressing justice issues still feel some tremors

Jul 2, 2009 12:30 AM CDT

Top Minn. Court Says Franken Won Senate Race; Coleman Concedes

Democrat Al Franken edged out his Republican opponent in a hard-fought election for a U.S. Senate seat by 312 votes, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided today in a unanimous ruling expected to give the Democratic party a solid 60-seat majority. After the court’s decision, incumbent Norm Coleman conceded the race,…

Jun 30, 2009 8:14 PM CDT

Supreme Court Orders Reargument in Case of ‘Hillary: The Movie’

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a special September session to consider whether it should overturn earlier rulings upholding limits on corporate and union campaign contributions. The order delays a ruling in the case Citizens United v. FEC, the Associated Press reports. The issue before the justices was whether a…

Jun 29, 2009 4:33 PM CDT

High Court Narrowly Interprets Voting Rights Act: Keeps Section 5

With only one justice partially dissenting, the U.S. Supreme Court today narrowly interpreted the Voting Rights Act in a way that saves it. The high court held that a utility district in Austin, Texas, can opt out of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a key provision of the…

Jun 22, 2009 3:00 PM CDT

CEO at Center of Caperton Case Speaks Out

Don Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy Co., questions whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling this week that a judge he supported should have recused himself will ultimately stifle free speech. A divided court ruled 5-4 Monday in Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Company that elected judges should…

Jun 12, 2009 10:05 PM CDT

The Future in Black and White

In the era of President Barack Obama, race relations still play out

Jun 2, 2009 2:40 AM CDT

Sarah Palin’s $150K Shopping Spree was Legal, FEC Says

A $150,000 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus, Victoria’s Secret and other well-known department stores by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family was a legal use of political funds, the Federal Election Commission has held. In a 5-0 vote that was taken last month but announced today the FEC found…

May 19, 2009 11:15 PM CDT

O’Connor on Judicial Elections: ‘They’re Awful. I Hate Them’

Warnings that judicial elections increasingly threaten to undermine the independence of courts were bookends for Friday’s ABA summit on how to preserve fair and impartial state courts. “I’m still resolute that how we select our judges is crucial to a fair and impartial judiciary,” retired Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor…

May 9, 2009 1:09 PM CDT

75 Former Attys General Ask Holder to Launch Probe of Siegelman’s Prosecution

Emboldened by Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to drop its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, a group of 75 former state attorneys general from across the country is asking for an investigation into whether former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s corruption prosecution should stand. The effort is bipartisan, the…

Apr 23, 2009 5:01 PM CDT

Oprah Show on Obama Wasn’t a Campaign Contribution, FEC Rules

An Oprah Winfrey show on then-presidential candidate Barack Obama didn’t amount to an illegal campaign contribution, the Federal Election Commission has ruled. Ruling on an administrative complaint that the popular daytime television show gave Obama a boost that his opponents didn’t get, the FEC said a “media exemption” that excludes…

Apr 14, 2009 10:05 PM CDT

Burris Legal Bills Could Hit $400K; Embattled Senator Plans Defense Fund

An embattled U.S. senator from Illinois who is fighting efforts to force him from office, following allegations that he misrepresented his dealings with now-impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, expects that his legal bills could hit $400,000. So Sen. Roland Burris is seeking the Senate Ethics Committee’s okay to set up a…

Mar 20, 2009 1:22 AM CDT

Maryland Is Home Sweet Home for Congressmen Seeking Tax Break

A senior member of Congress who was elected in California has reportedly saved $3,853 in 2007 and 2008 taxes by claiming a home in Maryland as his principal residence. And he’s apparently not the only federal lawmaker from another state who has been doing so. Rep. Pete Stark, 77, the…

Mar 19, 2009 5:10 PM CDT