Venable attorneys regularly publish commentary and analysis on our blog, Political Law Briefing. For your convenience, we have assembled our most popular blog posts from May 2014.
Come and Get Us: Some States in No Hurry to Respond to Supreme Court Ruling on Aggregate Limits
Author: Lawrence H. Norton
In every election, campaigns and their political fundraisers must navigate a complex and ever-changing array of laws, which increasingly are being rewritten by the courts. The rules changed again last month, when the Supreme Court in McCutcheon v. FEC struck down the limit on the amount an individual may give during an election cycle to all federal candidate and PACs, and to the national political parties. While the ruling did not directly involve any state laws, the Court's reasoning – that the First Amendment forbids restrictions on how many candidates or committees a donor may support – cast doubt on the constitutionality of laws in about a dozen states that also impose aggregate limits.
Click here to read the complete article on Venable's Political Law Blog, www.politicallawbriefing.com.
Another One Bites the Dust
Authors: Ronald M. Jacobs and Lawrence H. Norton
Louisiana imposes an aggregate limit of $100,000 on a person's contributions to a political committee in Louisiana during a four-year election cycle. An independent expenditure-only committee (i.e., a Super PAC) supporting gubernatorial candidate David Vitter sued, arguing that the cap is unconstitutional as applied to super PACs. A federal judge has now agreed.
Click here to read the complete article on Venable's Political Law Blog, www.politicallawbriefing.com.
Discussion on IRS Rulemaking – Video Available
Author: Craig Ready
Ron Jacobs recently moderated a panel at the George Washington University Law School on the IRS's proposed rules for political activity of 501(c)(4) organizations. The panelists included Cleta Mitchell of Foley & Lardner LLP, John Pomeranz of Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP, and Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center.
Click here to read the complete article on Venable's Political Law Blog, www.politicallawbriefing.com.
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