[EL] Pillar of Law

Bill Maurer wmaurer at ij.org
Tue Apr 7 22:09:51 PDT 2015 

Mark,

I would note that CLC appears to not have disclosed information about individual donors above $200 until fairly recently.

http://www.campaignfreedom.org/2010/05/21/hypocrisy-and-smears-typical-of-the-campaign-legal-center/

Also, I didn't see that they reported how much these donors gave except they gave more than $200.

Also, according to both organization's 990, CLC, a national organization, has considerably more money than the Wyoming Liberty Group.  It's been my experience that smaller organizations have smaller donor bases of mostly individual donors, so I'm not sure judging them by CLC's standards is comparing apples to apples. Also, CLC has been around since 2002 while the Pillar of Law Institute was launched, I believe, earlier this week.  Again, I'm not sure that's a useful comparison.

Regardless, after hearing some of the rhetoric by some of the more unhinged participants of public discussion on money in campaigns, I can't blame anyone for wanting to remain anonymous.

If I have misread, overlooked, or misinterpreted any of the information I've gleaned from the web about CLC, I preemptively apologize. I know Trevor and respect him, and I know when I get stuff from CLC, it's going to be of high quality and I will probably disagree with almost all of it. Likewise, when I get stuff from Ben Barr and Steve Klein, it will also be of high quality and I will agree with almost all of it (alright, all of it). And I don't think that that is affected in the slightest because either is supported by "wealthy individuals" as you appear to agree.

Bill

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 7, 2015, at 7:32 PM, Mark Schmitt <schmitt.mark at gmail.com<mailto:schmitt.mark at gmail.com>> wrote:

The difference is, the Campaign Legal Center publishes a list of its donors, who are, indeed, individuals and foundations. Presumably the individuals are wealthy. (A misleading issue -- all such organizations get their funding from wealthy individuals, foundations or corporations.) http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/about/funding

Three things an ordinary observer will see from that list: (1) A fairly broad base of support, not overly dependent on one or two donors who might influence the organization's priorities. (2) Several foundations and individuals who are identifiable (to me) as Republican/conservative. (3) Considerable support from established mainstream foundations like Carnegie, Hewlett and MacArthur, which indicates at least several levels of professional review of the organization's professionalism and independence. Oh, and a fourth, which is that their willingness to be open and to respond to any challenges based on their funding is in itself reassuring that they are operating independently.

Those are useful things to know, and would tend to make me trust the CLC's reports and legal analyses a  little more than if I didn't know those things. I'm not able to know those things about the Pillar of Law Institute. That doesn't make me distrust their/your analysis or positions (some of which I agree with), but it doesn't help.

Mark Schmitt
Director, Political Reform Program<http://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/>, New America<http://www.newamerica.org/>
202/246-2350
gchat or Skype: schmitt.mark
twitter: @mschmitt9 <https://twitter.com/@mschmitt9>

On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 4:39 PM, Bill Maurer <wmaurer at ij.org<mailto:wmaurer at ij.org>> wrote:
You ask who funds the Pillar of Law Institute and mention that its chief employee doesn’t. I would think that that is something that many in the reform community would find to be a good thing. After all, it is consistently insinuated that the only reason policy groups on the libertarian/conservative side of things do the work they do is that they are doing the bidding of their funders like Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, etc. etc. If one doesn’t know who one is supposed to be the paid sock-puppet for, then one cannot be an effective sock-puppet, can one? I would think that this statement should immunize the Pillar of Law from future articles about how they are just a front for wealthy billionaires who want to destroy democracy, ruin the environment, etc. etc.

I notice as well that the author of the piece doesn’t ask who funds the Campaign Legal Center. This is despite the fact that the CLC spokesman is quick to say that organizations like the Pillar of Law Institute are funded by “wealthy individuals,” suggesting that wealthy individuals funding stuff is problematic. Apparently, the reporter just assumes that CLC is funded entirely by people who are below the federal poverty line without raising the same line of inquiry about them or asking, “Why is being funded by wealthy individuals something you specifically mention? What does that mean and why should I and my readers care?”

This just goes to show how shallow the ad hominem game is and how it results in lazy assumptions. Personally, I like to think that the folks at the Pillar of Law Institute and the Campaign Legal Center believe what they believe because they think that the policies and solutions they propose will make America a better place to live, not because there is some manipulative puppet master out there handing out cash to either group to get them to say stuff that benefits the puppet master.

Bill

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu>] On Behalf Of Rick Hasen
Sent: Monday, April 06, 2015 7:42 AM
To: law-election at uci.edu<mailto:law-election at uci.edu>
Subject: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 4/6/15

 Paul Looks Likely to Form Joint Victory Fund with His Presidential Campaign, Senate Campaign, and His PAC<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71559>
Posted on April 6, 2015 7:40 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71559> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This<https://twitter.com/AlexPappas/status/585089064405180416> will be worth watching.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71559&title=Rand%20Paul%20Looks%20Likely%20to%20Form%20Joint%20Victory%20Fund%20with%20His%20Presidential%20Campaign%2C%20Senate%20Campaign%2C%20and%20His%20PAC&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Presidential candidates-to-be make the most of fundraising rule-bending”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71557>
Posted on April 6, 2015 7:36 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71557> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Evan Halper reports<http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-campaign-cash-20150406-story.html#page=1> for the LAT.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71557&title=%E2%80%9CPresidential%20candidates-to-be%20make%20the%20most%20of%20fundraising%20rule-bending%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
Jeb Bush Registered as Hispanic on Voter Form<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71555>
Posted on April 6, 2015 7:29 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71555> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Huh?<http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/04/06/jeb-bushs-deep-ties-to-hispanics-show-even-in-voter-form/?smid=tw-share&_r=0>
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71555&title=Jeb%20Bush%20Registered%20as%20Hispanic%20on%20Voter%20Form&description=>
Posted in voting<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31>
Top Recent Downloads in Election Law on SSRN<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71553>
Posted on April 6, 2015 7:28 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71553> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/topten/topTenResults.cfm?groupingId=991929&netorjrnl=jrnl>:


1

605

Dividing ‘Citizens United': The Case v. The Controversy<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2575865>
Laurence H. Tribe<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=300050>
Harvard Law School
Date posted to database: 11 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 31 Mar 2015

2

142

The Right to Vote: Is the Amendment Game Worth the Candle?<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2567394>
Heather Gerken<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=101581>
Yale University – Law School
Date posted to database: 21 Feb 2015
Last Revised: 2 Apr 2015

3

80

‘Rhetoric and Reality': Testing the Harm of Campaign Spending<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2584069>
Rebecca L. Brown<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=48816> and Andrew D. Martin<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=390817>
USC Gould School of Law and University of Michigan at Ann Arbor – College of Literature, Science & the Arts
Date posted to database: 25 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 2 Apr 2015

4

75

Originalist or Original: The Difficulties of Reconciling Citizens United with Corporate Law History<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2567416>
Leo E. Strine<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=328830> and Nicholas Walter<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1638529>
Government of the State of Delaware – Supreme Court of Delaware and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Date posted to database: 21 Feb 2015
Last Revised: 10 Mar 2015

5

73

Secret Votes and Secret Talk<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2574204>
John A. Ferejohn<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=82789>
NYU Law School
Date posted to database: 5 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 5 Mar 2015

6

73

American Plutocracy<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2581556>
Timothy K. Kuhner<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=478699>
Georgia State University – College of Law
Date posted to database: 22 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 22 Mar 2015

7

71

The Coordination Fallacy<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2579296>
Michael D. Gilbert<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1304972> and Brian Barnes<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=2371953>
University of Virginia School of Law and University of Virginia – School of Law
Date posted to database: 18 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 18 Mar 2015

8

57

Institutional Investors and Political Activism<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2572666>
Rui A. Albuquerque<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=111789>, Zicheng Lei<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=2213035>, Jörg Rocholl<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=327280> and Chendi Zhang<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=334402>
Boston University – School of Management, University of Warwick – Finance Group, ESMT European School of Management and Technology and University of Warwick – Finance Group
Date posted to database: 4 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 4 Mar 2015

9

57

Beyond Coordination: Defining Indirect Campaign Contributions for the Super PAC Era<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2577075>
Brent Ferguson<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1609799>
New York University (NYU) – Brennan Center for Justice
Date posted to database: 13 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 13 Mar 2015

10

56

Generalized Synthetic Control Method for Causal Inference with Time-Series Cross-Sectional Data<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2584200>
Yiqing Xu<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1728397>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Department of Political Science
Date posted to database: 25 Mar 2015
Last Revised: 1 Apr 2015

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Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
No Surprise: #SCOTUS Refuses to Hear North Carolina Voting Case<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71551>
Posted on April 6, 2015 7:26 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71551> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here is the order list <http://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040615zor_4315.pdf> and an AP report<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_VOTING_RIGHTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>. The order is no surprise as the issue was whether the 4th Circuit erred in putting two parts of North Carolina’s strict voting law on hold for the 2014 elections, and issue which will likely be mooted by the time we get to the next election. The federal trial on North Carolina’s voter id law will take place this summer, followed by an inevitable 4th circuit appeal, and a chance for the Supreme Court to consider these issues on the merits.

I discuss why the Supreme Court might or might not have erred in temporarily blocking the 4th Circuit’s North Carolina order in my piece, Reining in the Purcell Principle<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2545676>.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71551&title=No%20Surprise%3A%20%23SCOTUS%20Refuses%20to%20Hear%20North%20Carolina%20Voting%20Case&description=>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, Voting Rights Act<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>
“Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Raises Partisanship Concerns”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71548>
Posted on April 5, 2015 8:44 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71548> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NYT<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/us/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-raises-partisanship-concerns.html?ref=politics&_r=0>: “The Wisconsin Supreme Court, defined in recent years by polarization and reports of dysfunction, could be profoundly reshaped by an election on Tuesday. The outcome hinges on two choices — whether voters re-elect a justice who is seen as part of the court’s liberal minority and whether they approve a constitutional amendment that seems likely to lead to the installation of a conservative chief justice.”
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71548&title=%E2%80%9CWisconsin%20Supreme%20Court%20Election%20Raises%20Partisanship%20Concerns%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in judicial elections<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19>
“Political Speech or Corruption?”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71545>
Posted on April 5, 2015 5:30 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71545> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo editorial<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/political-speech-or-corruption/2015/04/05/ab3b043e-da2a-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html> on Citizens United and Menendez.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71545&title=%E2%80%9CPolitical%20Speech%20or%20Corruption%3F%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, Supreme Court<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
“Chicago Elections Chief Got Lobbying Contracts from Rahm Emanuel’s Administration”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71542>
Posted on April 5, 2015 4:14 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71542> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

IBT reports.<http://www.ibtimes.com/chicago-elections-chief-got-lobbying-contracts-rahm-emanuels-adminstration-1869898>
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71542&title=%E2%80%9CChicago%20Elections%20Chief%20Got%20Lobbying%20Contracts%20from%20Rahm%20Emanuel%E2%80%99s%20Administration%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in conflict of interest laws<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20>, election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>
“Conservative lawmakers weigh bid to call for constitutional convention”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71540>
Posted on April 5, 2015 4:03 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71540> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservative-lawmakers-weigh-bid-to-call-for-constitutional-convention/2015/04/04/b25d4f1e-db02-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html?postshare=3831428274284344>:

Conservative state legislators frustrated with the gridlock in Washington are increasingly turning to a plan to call a convention to consider a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution — an event that would be unprecedented in American history and one that could, some opponents predict, lead to complete political chaos.

Legislators in 27 states have passed applications for a convention to pass a balanced budget amendment. Proponents of a balanced budget requirement are planning to push for new applications in nine other states where Republicans control both chambers of the legislature.

If those applications pass in seven of the nine targeted states, it would bring the number of applications up to 34, meeting the two-thirds requirement under Article V of the Constitution to force Congress to call a convention.

What happens next is anyone’s guess.


<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71540&title=%E2%80%9CConservative%20lawmakers%20weigh%20bid%20to%20call%20for%20constitutional%20convention%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
NYT with Two on the Adelson Primary<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71538>
Posted on April 5, 2015 4:01 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71538> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jeb Bush as Inevitable Choice?<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/us/politics/jeb-bush-as-inevitable-choice-republicans-say-not-so-fast.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0>

Other wealthy donors, mindful of their power to reshape the Republican race with “super PAC<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/campaign_finance/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>” donations, have been more direct: The casino magnate Sheldon Adelson recently made what two people briefed on it described as an “animated” call to one of Mr. Bush’s top supporters after former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, a Bush adviser, criticized<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/us/politics/republicans-criticize-james-baker-for-speech-on-benjamin-netanyahu.html>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a speech in March.

G.O.P.’s Israel Support Deepens as Political Contributions Shift<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/us/politics/gops-israel-support-deepens-as-political-contributions-shift.html?hpw&rref=politics&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well>

The Emergency Committee for Israel<http://www.committeeforisrael.com/board>, led by William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, spent $960,000 to support Mr. Cotton<https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/recips.php?cmte=Emergency+Cmte+for+Israel&cycle=2014>. In that same race, Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire from New York and a leading donor to pro-Israel causes, contributed $250,000 to Arkansas Horizon<https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cmte=C00547497&cycle=2014>, another independent expenditure group supporting Mr. Cotton. Seth Klarman, a Boston-based pro-Israel billionaire, contributed $100,000.
The political action committee run by John Bolton<https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/recips.php?cmte=C00542464&cycle=2014>, the United Nations ambassador under President George W. Bush and an outspoken supporter of Israel, spent at least $825,000 to support Mr. Cotton. That PAC is in part financed by other major pro-Israel donors, including Irving and Cherna Moskowitz of Miami, who contributed 99 percent of their $1.1 million in 2012 races<https://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/topindivs.php?cycle=2012> to Republican candidates and causes….

Over all, the most significant contributor by far to Republican supporters of Israel has been Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, who with his wife has invested at least $100 million in conservative causes over the last four years. A large chunk was spent on the 2012 presidential campaign, but Senate Republicans also benefited, and could soon again, particularly those considering a run for president.

The scope of the alliance was evident last month when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, at the invitation of Speaker John A. Boehner, spoke to a joint meeting of Congress, over Mr. Obama’s objections.

After the speech, some of the nation’s most important pro-Israel donors, including Mr. Adelson, gathered with more than a dozen Republican members of Congress at the nearby Capitol Hill Club. “It was a love fest,” said Kenneth J. Bialkin<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skadden.com%2Fprofessionals%2Fkenneth-j-bialkin&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFincr9b4qyXbZfcxM5ePQ2ed3oVQ>, a corporate lawyer and donor who attended.


<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71538&title=NYT%20with%20Two%20on%20the%20Adelson%20Primary&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“GOP donor Charles Munger Jr. finds wealth buys few friends”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71536>
Posted on April 5, 2015 3:56 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71536> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

LA Times.<http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-adv-munger-20150304-story.html#page=1>
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71536&title=%E2%80%9CGOP%20donor%20Charles%20Munger%20Jr.%20finds%20wealth%20buys%20few%20friends%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
“Wyoming Liberty Group starts national organization”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71534>
Posted on April 5, 2015 3:55 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71534> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Pillar of Law<http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/wyoming-liberty-group-starts-national-organization/article_295c0f2e-f5de-5041-92ac-7870e8bb9b62.html> is coming, and who knows who is backing it?  Apparently not its chief employee:
The Wyoming Liberty Group was founded by Susan Gore, whose father invented Gore-Tex weatherproof fabric, and who is involved in the family company, W.L. Gore and Associates. Gore will remain in Cheyenne, Klein said.
Klein said he is not privy to how the Pillar of Law Institute is funded. The institute accepts donations. Gore is the director and has been generous, he said.
Noble, of the Campaign Legal Center, said, “There have been other groups like this. These are groups funded by wealthy individuals, sometimes corporations.”
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71534&title=%E2%80%9CWyoming%20Liberty%20Group%20starts%20national%20organization%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, election law biz<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=51>
“Suit alleges coercion in teachers unions’ using dues for politics”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71532>
Posted on April 3, 2015 3:30 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71532> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

John Diaz<http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/diaz/article/Lawsuit-challenges-teacher-unions-grip-on-6177714.php?t=75f87e154e&cmpid=twitter-premium> SF Chronicle column.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71532&title=%E2%80%9CSuit%20alleges%20coercion%20in%20teachers%20unions%E2%80%99%20using%20dues%20for%20politics%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Robert Menendez and the dangers of unlimited campaign contributions”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71530>
Posted on April 3, 2015 3:13 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71530> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Stephen Weissman has written this LAT oped.<http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-weissman-menendez-20150403-story.html>
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71530&title=%E2%80%9CRobert%20Menendez%20and%20the%20dangers%20of%20unlimited%20campaign%20contributions%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“New Jersey’s Constitutional Residency Requirement for State Legislature Candidates: A Roadmap fo rChallengers and a Cry for Reform During Redistricting Years”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71528>
Posted on April 3, 2015 3:09 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71528> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Kevin Miller has written this article<http://www.rutgerslawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/010_Miller.pdf> in the Rutgers Law Review.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71528&title=%E2%80%9CNew%20Jersey%E2%80%99s%20Constitutional%20Residency%20Requirement%20for%20State%20Legislature%20Candidates%3A%20A%20Roadmap%20fo%20rChallengers%20and%20a%20Cry%20for%20Reform%20During%20Re>
Posted in residency<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=38>
En Banc 9th Circuit Unanimously Rules No Anonymous Initiative Sponsors, Slams Role of Money in Initiative Process<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71526>
Posted on April 3, 2015 2:58 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71526> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

You can find the ruling in the Chula Vista case here<http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/04/03/12-55726.pdf>. This overturned an earlier panel decision, a result I expected.<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=66473> Now that the court has ruled this way, I think Supreme Court review is unlikely.

Footnote 11 is especially interesting—not surprising from Judge Reinhardt, but it is unanimous:

That the initiative process may not have served its purposes as well as its original proponents hoped does not affect our decision here. There is mounting evidence that corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals have come to dominate the initiative process. See  California Comm’n on Campaign Financing, Democracy By Initiative: Shaping California’s Fourth Branch of Government  264–74 (1992); Adam Winkler, Beyond Bellotti, 32 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 133, 137–39 (1998); Jamin B. Raskin, Direct Democracy, Corporate Power and Judicial Review of Popularly-Enacted Campaign Finance Reform , 1996 Ann. Surv. Am. L. 393, 395–99 (1996); John S. Shockley, Direct Democracy, CampaignFinance, and the Courts: Can Corruption, Undue Influence, and Declining Voter Confidence Be Found? , 39 U. Miami L. Rev. 377, 393–96 (1985); J. Skelly Wright, Money and the Pollution of Politics: Is the First Amendment an Obstacle to Political Equality?, 82 Colum. L. Rev. 609, 622–25 (1982);  see also Michael Hiltzik,  On California Initiatives, Money Talked, The Public Interest Walked, L.A. Times, Nov. 5, 2014, http://tinyurl.com/latimeshiltzik; Norimitsu Onishi,  California Ballot Initiatives, Born in Populism, Now Come from Billionaires, N.Y. Times, Oct. 17, 2012, at A22; Ina Jaffe, Corporate Bucks Behind ‘Citizens’ Initiatives in Calif., Nat’l Public Radio, May 24, 2010, http://tinyurl.com/nprjaffe. However, the State of California and the City of Chula Vista are entitled to continue striving to guarantee self-government to their citizens, notwithstanding these shortcomings of direct democracy, and to improve the initiative process should they so desire.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71526&title=En%20Banc%209th%20Circuit%20Unanimously%20Rules%20No%20Anonymous%20Initiative%20Sponsors%2C%20Slams%20Role%20of%20Money%20in%20Initiative%20Process&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, direct democracy<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=62>
“Want More Voters? Pay Them”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71524>
Posted on April 3, 2015 9:03 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71524> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Stephen Carter column.<http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-02/want-more-voters-pay-them>
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71524&title=%E2%80%9CWant%20More%20Voters%3F%20Pay%20Them%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in voting<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31>
“Thousands of Arizona Voting Ballots Going Uncounted Every Election, Report Says”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71522>
Posted on April 3, 2015 8:45 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71522> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Phoenix New Times<http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2015/04/arizona_voting_rights_voter_fraud_report_uncounted.php>:

Thousands upon thousands of votes aren’t counted every election year in Arizona, according to a new report<http://freepdfhosting.com/252ee064ac.pdf>.

The Arizona Advocacy Network, which is run by a onetime Democratic politician, released a report detailing how Arizona’s election laws affect voter turnout, and it doesn’t look good — through public records and voter data, the organization found that more than 100,000 votes haven’t been counted over the last 10 years.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71522&title=%E2%80%9CThousands%20of%20Arizona%20Voting%20Ballots%20Going%20Uncounted%20Every%20Election%2C%20Report%20Says%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
“Reform Groups Call on IRS to Clarify 49 Percent Approach”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71520>
Posted on April 3, 2015 8:40 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71520> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Release<http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/news/press-releases/reform-groups-call-irs-clarify-49-percent-approach>.
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71520&title=%E2%80%9CReform%20Groups%20Call%20on%20IRS%20to%20Clarify%2049%20Percent%20Approach%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
“Election law changes fail as Legislature winds to close”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71518>
Posted on April 3, 2015 8:30 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71518> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

News<http://www.yourwestvalley.com/valleyandstate/article_0235d1a2-da11-11e4-9685-f3d119f27e23.html> from AZ: “A proposal to ask voters to scrap the voluntary system of public financing faltered when it came up two votes short of a majority in the House. Several Republicans crossed party lines to prevent a new vote on the measure first approved by voters in 1998.”
<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71518&title=%E2%80%9CElection%20law%20changes%20fail%20as%20Legislature%20winds%20to%20close%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Ted Stevens Case Looms Over Menendez Indictment”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71516>
Posted on April 3, 2015 7:49 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=71516> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Mike Sacks<http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202722424024/Ted-Stevens-Case-Looms-Over-Menendez-Indictment> reports for NLJ.


<image001.png><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D71516&title=%E2%80%9CTed%20Stevens%20Case%20Looms%20Over%20Menendez%20Indictment%E2%80%9D&description=>
Posted in chicanery<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>, direct democracy<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=62>

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Rick Hasen

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UC Irvine School of Law

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