Ned Foley defends Justice Kennedy's opinion for the Court on the Section 2 issue in this weekly comment on the Election Law @ Moritz site. This follows his comment last week defending of Justice Kennedy's opinion on the constitutional issue.

"Hiring Federal Lobbyists, Towns Learn Money Talks"

The New York Times has this report on local government entities' increasing use of private lobbying firms to secure federal funding.

Noe Campaign Finance Convictions

The Toledo Blade has this editorial on four recent no-contest pleas for ethics violations, related to rare coin dealer Tom Noe's funnelling of money to the Bush re-election campaign. The Blade, which has provided excellent coverage of the so-called "Noe Coin Scandal," claims that 20 more people have been identified as serving as conduits for Noe's money. More background may be found in this story in yesterday's Blade.

"Campaign Finance Bellweather"

The Washington Post offers this editorial on the Vermont decision, which begins:

At first glance, the Supreme Court's decision last week striking down Vermont's campaign finance laws may seem like a defeat for proponents of reasonable regulation of election money. The court voided the toughest contribution limits in the country and refused Vermont's invitation to reconsider its long-standing hostility toward legal limits on campaign expenditures. In the long run, however, the decision may prove more silver lining than cloud. The Vermont rules never stood much of a chance; they are so strict as to present genuine problems. The important feature of the case is not its specific result but the way the court -- and its two newest justices -- reached that result. On this point, the decision is promising.

Fallout from Texas

The Washington Times has this report. And more editorials may be found in today's Macon Telegraph, Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, and Indianapolis Star.