Election Law: Campaign Finance Law

In a five-to-four ruling, the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC invalidated two provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). It struck down the long-standing prohibition on corporations using their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures. As a result of the Court's ruling, it appears that federal campaign finance law does not limit corporate and, most likely, labour union use of their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures. This book examines campaign finance with its relation to the Citizens United States Supreme Court case.

"A brilliant collection of essays on one of the most important contemporary constitutional issues: when can and should the government be able to regulate campaign spending? Each essay offers original insights, and together they are a superb examination of the intersection of politics and constitutional law. If there is to be a new jurisprudence in this area, this book is likely its foundation."--Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean, School of Law, University of California-Irvine In the U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, five justices ruled that corporations and unions had a constitutional right to spend unlimited sums in elections. In so doing, they overturned decades of precedent and dozens of laws. The ruling earned banner headlines, a sharp State of the Union rebuke, and public disapproval hovering near 80 percent in the polls. In the 2010 election that followed, independent spending spiked, much of it done secretly. The decision ranks among the Court's most controversial and consequential. This volume is an attempt to map out the complex labyrinth that led to Citizens United and to explore where this decision may lead. The chapters in it arose from a symposium sponsored by NYU's Brennan Center for Justice just nine weeks after the Citizens United decision was announced.

The Federal Election Commission: Politics, Policy, and Administration is an engaging and accessible analysis of the nature and impact of the contextual relationship between the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and legislative, executive, and judicial institutions of government. This work offers a historical and theoretical explanation of why campaign finance regulation and its administration fails to satisfy politicians, pundits, and the public and might ultimately threaten democratic government. With detailed research, The Federal Election Commission addresses the following issues relating to FEC administration and enforcement of campaign finance policies: democratic theory and policymaking; electoral knowledge and policy preferences; and organization theory and administrative arrangements. Those interested in campaign finance, public administration, public policy, democratic theory, and organization theory will find this book helpful.

Critics often call campaign finance the rotten apple of America's version of democracy. Politicians retort that the system makes them do it. One can't get elected without massive spending on television and image consultants (image is after all what is being sold on television at the expense of substance) and this spending equals big money. The folks willing to part with said big money will only do so in exchange for something, i.e. specific campaign or industry tax breaks, effective control of foreign policy in certain parts of the world, future direct access to the candidate and multitudinous other forms of gift reciprocation. This book examines some of the laws which primarily serve as interesting but far from insurmountable hurdles for present and future lawmakers and some of the serious issues concerning a major problem whose solution is scheduled to arrive concurrently with the appearance of igloos at the equator.

Location: General Collection

Location: General Collection
The 2011 version is available at http://www.fec.gov/pdf/candgui.pdf

Location: General Collection
The most recent version is available at http://www.fec.gov/pdf/partygui.pdf

Location: General Collection
Also available at http://www.fec.gov/pdf/colagui.pdf

Location: General Collection

Location: General Collection

Location: General Collection