This blog serves my Congress course (Claremont McKenna College Government 101) for the spring of 2025.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;
To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.
To post relevant news items or videos.
There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges.
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
GOP is Recruiting Newcomers for the House
If you are still looking for a paper topic there are some names in here you might consider...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703894304575047241446787622.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Big Campaign Finance Decision
Major trade organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be able to spend unlimited amounts of money in this year's midterm elections thanks to a SCOTUS ruling today that experts said represented a major overhaul of the nation's campaign finance rules.
"It is a sweeping decision. In one opinion, the Court struck down all bans on corporate independent spending," said Marc Elias, a leading Dem election lawyer at Perkins Coie.
The long-awaited Citizens United v. FEC decision overturned the Court's ruling in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which banned corporations from using company money to fund political ads. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy cited First Amendment concerns and criticized the FEC for allowing the government to regulate political speech.
The case "will reflect a huge sea-change in campaign finance law," said Robert Kelner, a GOP election lawyer at Covington & Burling. "The Court went all the way. It really relieves any restrictions on corporate spending on independent advertising."