[EL] CAC

[Jason Rylander]

CAC has actually been around a long time.  They were formerly Community
Rights Counsel, which focused for a decade or so on beating back expansive
interpretations of the takings clause and limitations on the commerce
power.  http://www.communityrights.org/

They regularly filed amicus briefs in the Supreme Court and appellate
courts representing the National Association of Counties, the National
League of Cities, ICCMA, etc.  Often they coordinated with the State and
Local Legal Center and other pro-planning organizations.  One might say
they were the anti-Pacific Legal Foundation, focusing on countering
right-wing attacks on the foundations of environmental law.

They also focused heavily on exposing all-expense paid junkets for judges
and achieved some needed judicial reforms for these programs.  As CRC, they
generated a great deal of attention to issues of judicial ethics and
judicial selection.

After the Supreme Court decided Tahoe-Sierra and Gonzales v. Raich, which
largely settled some of the takings and commerce clause issues (for now at
least), CRC reorganized as CAC to focus more broadly on constitutional
interpretation.  As Adam noted, they focus on promoting a proper
understanding of the text and history of the constitution.

Full disclosure -- I worked for them for 2 years when they were CRC.

Jason C. Rylander
Senior Attorney Defenders of Wildlife





On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 2:07 PM, Steve Hoersting <hoersting at gmail.com>wrote:

> Thanks, guys, for the data.  I will continue to keep an eye on CAC's role
> in CFRegulation.
>
> Steve
>
> On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 12:02 PM, Rob Richie <rr at fairvote.org> wrote:
>
>> CAC also differs sharply with Jamie Raskin on at least one issue: it
>> argues (
>> http://theusconstitution.org/think-tank/testimony/written-testimony-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing-voting-rights) optimistically
>> that today the Constitution establishes voting as a fundamental
>> constitutional right to vote of the highest order in the face of massive
>> evidence to the contrary that courts allow federal, state and local
>> governments to deny or diminish voting rights based on where American
>> citizens live,whether they have ever been convicted of a felony and how
>> much money and expertise their local jurisdiction has to run effective and
>> secure elections.
>>
>> Like historian Alex Keyssar, the dozens of Members of Congress sponsoring
>> HJR 28 to establish an affirmative right to vote and organizations like
>> FairVote and the Advancement Project, Jamie has been a passionate backer of
>> an amendment to establish that as Americans of the 21st century, we indeed
>> do support voting rights as a fundamental value. Here's a good piece of
>> Jamie's on that topic:
>> http://archive.fairvote.org/democracyusa/raskin.htm
>>
>> - Rob Richie
>>
>> On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 11:31 AM, Adam Bonin <adam at boninlaw.com> wrote:
>>
>>> CAC is neither a campaign finance organization nor new; they exist to
>>> help restore a proper understanding of the text and history of the
>>> Constitution, and (among other things) were heavily involving in promoting
>>> a resuscitation of the Privileges and Immunities Clause during the *McDonald
>>> *litigation which Justice Thomas adopted.  More here:
>>> http://theusconstitution.org/cases****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Adam C. Bonin
>>> The Law Office of Adam C. Bonin
>>> 1900 Market Street, 4th Floor
>>> Philadelphia, PA 19103
>>> (215) 864-8002 (w)
>>> (215) 701-2321 (f)
>>> (267) 242-5014 (c)****
>>>
>>> adam at boninlaw.com****
>>>
>>> http://www.boninlaw.com****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> *From:* law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:
>>> law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] *On Behalf Of *Steve
>>> Hoersting
>>> *Sent:* Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:42 AM
>>> *To:* Rick Hasen
>>> *Cc:* law-election at uci.edu
>>> *Subject:* [EL] CAC****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Great: another, new, campaign-finance organization on the Progressive
>>> side, demonstrating, by its content, that it's in for the long haul.  Dear
>>> libertarian and conservative donors: You're still needed...****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> But that's not enough to warrant a post to the list.  I write because of
>>> the name of the organization and the tagline of its latest whitepaper.  I
>>> detect a little camoflauge here, akin to the days when the left
>>> boxed-out classical liberals like Hayek to grab the "liberal" label and
>>> take it to the hoop.****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> This new organization (new to me, anyway) calls itself the
>>> Constitutional Accountability Center.  The tagline of its latest whitepaper
>>> is, "The Constitution at a Crossroads."  It spins its yarn in the fabric of
>>> the Founders.****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> The group sounds like an action-item after coffee between Jamin Raskin
>>> and Zephyr Teachout.  "Tell Pew (or Joyce or George) what we need now is an
>>> organization making our points in the language of James Madison.  If
>>> we ever get the Court back, our side's going to need to couch Progressivism
>>> in these terms anyway.  The donors'll get it.  But if they don't, just tell
>>> 'em to consider all the damage David Brooks has done while calling himself
>>> a conservative."****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> (I use Jamin because he was first to launch Free Speech for People, a
>>> long term solution to (and clever title for) the* Citizens United*"problem."  Zephyr, because her thesis that Madison charged government
>>> with an open-ended brief to combat "corruption" as not susceptible of any
>>> limiting principle and contrary to the language and purpose of the
>>> constitution).****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> Welcome to the fray, CAC.  Hope we'll be welcoming new groups from the
>>> free speech side -- "for people" and associations of people -- soon.****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> Steve****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 1:13 AM, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu> wrote:*
>>> ***
>>> “Democrats’ Fund Taps Corporate Donors for Convention”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34174>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 10:11 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34174>by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> WSJ:<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304543904577396331812329886.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>“Democrats have trumpeted their ban on corporate donations to their
>>> national convention this summer, saying that it shows they are free from
>>> the influence of special interests. But through a special fund, convention
>>> planners are accepting millions of dollars in corporate contributions to
>>> help pay for many of the activities outside the convention hall—as well as
>>> some expenses directly related to the event. Donors include Wells Fargo<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WFC>
>>> WFC +0.36%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WFC>& Co., Bank
>>> of America<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BAC>Corp.
>>> BAC -1.95%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=BAC>and Duke
>>> Energy<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=DUK>Corp.,
>>> DUK -0.32%<http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=DUK>all significant employers in Charlotte, N.C., where the convention will be
>>> held in early September.”****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34174&title=%E2%80%9CDemocrats%E2%80%99%20Fund%20Taps%20Corporate%20Donors%20for%20Convention%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, political
>>> parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25> | Comments Off ****
>>> “Republicans have taken a more polarizing political turn than Democrats
>>> in recent years” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34171> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 10:08 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34171>by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> Ezra Klein column<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-republicans-elephant-in-the-room-themselves/2012/05/11/gIQAZEo7IU_story.html>
>>> .****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34171&title=%E2%80%9CRepublicans%20have%20taken%20a%20more%20polarizing%20political%20turn%20than%20Democrats%20in%20recent%20years%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in legislation and legislatures<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>,
>>> political polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68> | Comments
>>> Off ****
>>> “The Struggle to Vote” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34168> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 8:49 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34168> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> This NYT editorial
>>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/opinion/the-struggle-for-voting-rights.html>begins:
>>> “It was nearly 10 p.m. on Wednesday when Paul Broun<http://broun.house.gov/>,
>>> a Republican congressman from Georgia, rose on the House floor to propose
>>> that no more money be spent enforcing a section of the Voting Rights Act of
>>> 1965.”****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34168&title=%E2%80%9CThe%20Struggle%20to%20Vote%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in Voting Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> |
>>> Comments Off ****
>>> “Is Black and Latino Voter Registration Threatened or Not?”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34165>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 8:35 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34165> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> This *Nation* report
>>> <http://www.thenation.com/blog/167853/black-and-latino-voter-registration-threatened-or-not>includes
>>> a response from the Washington Post to criticism of the article’s reliance
>>> on census dept. data.****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34165&title=%E2%80%9CIs%20Black%20and%20Latino%20Voter%20Registration%20Threatened%20or%20Not%3F%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in voter registration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37> |
>>> Comments Off ****
>>> “House Votes to Slash Political Science Funding”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34162>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 6:13 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34162> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> Disturbing<http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/05/11/house_votes_to_slash_political_science_funding.html>
>>> .****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34162&title=%E2%80%9CHouse%20Votes%20to%20Slash%20Political%20Science%20Funding%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in Uncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments
>>> Off ****
>>> Two from Findlaw <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34159> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 6:11 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34159> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> *Will SCOTUS Stamp Out Montana’s Constitutional Mischief? (FindLaw’s
>>> U.S. Supreme Court blog):* Citizens United — the group, not the case —
>>> wants the High Court to intervene in a challenge to Montana’s campaign
>>> finance law.****
>>>
>>>
>>> http://blogs.findlaw.com/supreme_court/2012/05/will-scotus-stamp-out-montanas-constitutional-mischief.html
>>> ****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> *You Can’t HAVA Federal Relief in a Local Recount (FindLaw’s U.S. Ninth
>>> Circuit blog):* Why federal law does not mandate ballot recount methods
>>> for non-federal offices.****
>>>
>>>
>>> http://blogs.findlaw.com/ninth_circuit/2012/04/you-cant-hava-federal-relief-in-a-local-recount.html
>>> ****
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34159&title=Two%20from%20Findlaw&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in Uncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments
>>> Off ****
>>> “What Has Made Congress More Polarized?”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34157>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 6:10 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34157> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> Sean Trende<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/05/11/what_has_made_congress_more_polarized.html>on Mann, Ornstein and the Poole-Rosenthal DW-NOMINATE scores of Congrss.
>>> ****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34157&title=%E2%80%9CWhat%20Has%20Made%20Congress%20More%20Polarized%3F%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in legislation and legislatures<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>,
>>> political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political
>>> polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68> | Comments Off ****
>>> “Assisted voting in Hidalgo election raises questions”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34153>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 11:08 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34153>by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> Troubling report
>>> <http://www.themonitor.com/news/hidalgo-60755-raises-voting.html>from
>>> South Texas: “One in five people who cast early ballots in Hidalgo’s City
>>> Council election brought someone else into the voting booth for help,
>>> Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Yvonne Ramon said Thursday. While
>>> Texas law allows voters to seek assistance in special circumstances,
>>> unusually high assistance rates often indicate political machines — and,
>>> critics say, voter coercion — at work. Of the 2,144 people who voted early
>>> in the Hidalgo election, 483 had help, Ramon said, about 22.5 percent of
>>> voters.”****
>>>
>>> As with absentee ballots, the ability to verify how someone vote through
>>> “assistance” facilitates both vote buying and coercion.  This certainly
>>> merits further investigation.****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34153&title=%E2%80%9CAssisted%20voting%20in%20Hidalgo%20election%20raises%20questions%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in Uncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments
>>> Off ****
>>> “Judge refuses to dismiss John Edwards charges”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34150>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 11:01 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34150>by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> AP<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EDWARDS_TRIAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-11-12-13-22>:
>>> “- A federal judge refused to throw out campaign corruption charges against
>>> John Edwards on Friday, meaning the former presidential hopeful will have
>>> to present his case to a jury.”****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34150&title=%E2%80%9CJudge%20refuses%20to%20dismiss%20John%20Edwards%20charges%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,
>>> chicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>, John Edwards<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=17>| Comments Off
>>> ****
>>> “The First Amendment, Political Speech, and the Future of Campaign
>>> Finance Laws” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34147> ****
>>>
>>> Posted on May 11, 2012 8:48 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=34147> by Rick
>>> Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> ****
>>>
>>> The latest <http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/93112705> from the
>>> Constitutional Accountability Center.****
>>>
>>> [image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D34147&title=%E2%80%9CThe%20First%20Amendment%2C%20Political%20Speech%2C%20and%20the%20Future%20of%20Campaign%20Finance%20Laws%E2%80%9D&description=>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> |
>>> Comments Off ****
>>>
>>> --
>>> Rick Hasen
>>> Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
>>> UC Irvine School of Law
>>> 401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
>>> Irvine, CA 92697-8000
>>> 949.824.3072 - office
>>> 949.824.0495 - fax
>>> rhasen at law.uci.edu
>>> http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
>>> http://electionlawblog.org****
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Law-election mailing list
>>> Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
>>> http://department-lists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/law-election****
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Stephen M. Hoersting****
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Law-election mailing list
>>> Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
>>> http://department-lists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/law-election
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> "Respect for Every Vote and Every Voice"
>>
>> Rob Richie
>> Executive Director
>>
>> FairVote
>> 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 610
>> Takoma Park, MD 20912
>> www.fairvote.org  <http://www.fairvote.org> rr at fairvote.org
>> (301) 270-4616
>>
>> Please support FairVote through action and tax-deductible donations --
>> see http://fairvote.org/donate. For federal employees, please consider
>> a gift to us through the Combined Federal Campaign (FairVote's  CFC number
>> is 10132.) Thank you!
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Stephen M. Hoersting
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Law-election mailing list
> Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
> http://department-lists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/law-election
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