The Campaign Legal Center
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| Campaign Legal Center | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Affiliation: | Nonpartisan |
| Top official: | Trevor Potter |
| Founder(s): | Trevor Potter |
| Year founded: | 2002 |
| Employees: | 12 |
| Website: | Official website |
| Promoted policies | |
| Campaign finance reform, Disclosure, Government ethics, Media policy, Redistricting, Voting rights | |
| Budget | |
| 2013: | $1,480,253 |
| 2012: | $1,623,919 |
| 2011: | $837,545 |
| 2010: | $706,227 |
| Connections | |
| Democracy 21, Open Society Foundations, Common Cause, Brennan Center for Justice, Center for Public Integrity | |
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group focused on campaign finance and elections, political communication and government ethics. It was founded in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) by Trevor Potter, a former commissioner and chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).[1][2] The 12-person shop has raised an average of approximately $1.2 million between 2010 and 2013.[3] The Washington Times has referred to the organization as liberal, drawing upon its connections to other progressive foundations.[4]
The mission statement of the association is:[5]
| “ | Founded in 2002, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that defends and protects our democracy in the areas of campaign finance, voting rights, political communication and government ethics. CLC works every day to attack laws and regulations that undermine the fundamental rights of all Americans to participate in the political process and to defend laws that protect these interests. Working in administrative, legislative and legal proceedings, CLC shapes our nation’s laws and policies so that the right to have a voice in our free and democratic society remains the foundation of our political system.[6] | ” |
Areas of influence
The CLC focuses on six main issues: campaign finance, disclosure, government ethics, media policy, redistricting and voting rights. According to their website, the CLC advocates for campaign finance reform by "litigating a wide range of campaign finance cases at the federal and state level, and by participating in rulemaking proceedings and filing complaints at federal and state enforcement agencies."[7]
The Center also participates in litigation and crafts model laws that defend "effective disclosure systems;" promotes awareness and enforcement of political broadcasting laws via rulemaking proceedings and complaints at the Federal Communications Commission, Congressional action, litigation in the courts and public education; offers expertise opinions on redistricting cases; and advocates for voting rights, at times via litigation. [7]
Funding
Donors
The Campaign Legal Center discloses names of donors who contribute over $200. Current and past donors include:[8]
- James H. Andrews
- Annenberg Public Policy Center at University of Pennsylvania
- Donald Bean
- Henry Bean
- Benton Foundation
- Brennan Center for Justice
- Carnegie Corporation of New York
- Center for Governmental Studies
- Steve Cohen
- Democracy Fund
- Andrew Egendorf
- Fidelity Charitable
- Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
- The Betsy and Jesse Fink Fund at Fairfield Community Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- The Foundation to Promote Open Society
- Fund for the Republic at Essex Community Foundation
- The David B. Gold Foundation
- The Ham Rove Memorial Fund of Coastal Community Foundation of SC
- Francis W. Hatch Jr.
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Hon. William H. and Beverly G. Hudnut
- JEHT Foundation
- Joyce Foundation
- Justice Through Music Project
- The Paul H. Klingenstein and Kathleen R. Bole Family Fund
- Peter Linde
- Ann Luther
- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Kate Masur
- Media Democracy Fund
- Mertz Gilmore Foundation
- Miles Mogulescu
- Nonprofit Finance Fund
- Open Society Foundations
- The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Trevor Potter
- Public Interest Projects
- Project Vote
- Proteus Fund
- Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
- Richard Register
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- Rockefeller Family Fund
- San Francisco Foundation
- Robert H. Snyder III
- The Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation
- Stuart Family Foundation
- Scott E. Thomas
- Thornburg Foundation
- Elizabeth Van Dyke
- Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Extent of disclosure
Per the CLC's website, "CLC discloses the names of all donors over $200 on our website. We do not share donor information with other organizations beyond what is required by law on our federal tax returns."[8] However, several of the organizations listed as funders -- including the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Fidelity Charitable and the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund -- are groups by which donors can contribute to "donor-advised funds." A donor advised fund is "a philanthropic vehicle established at a public charity. It allows donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax benefit and then recommend grants from the fund over time."[9][10][11]
Donor advised funds can also grant anonymity to the donors. Drexel University environmental sociologist Robert Brulle, who has studied nonprofit funding in the context of environmental campaigns and advocacy, gave the following description of donor advised funds:[12][13]
| “ | In this type of foundation, individuals or other foundations contribute money to the donor directed foundation, and it then makes grants based on the stated preferences of the original contributor. This process ensures that the intent of the contributor is met while also hiding that contributor’s identity. Because contributions to a donor directed foundation are not required to be made public, their existence provides a way for individuals or corporations to make anonymous contributions.[6] | ” |
| —Robert Brulle | ||
Revenue
In 2013, the CLC listed total revenue of $1,480,253. This was down slightly from 2012's total revenue of $1,623,919. Below is the group's total revenues for 2010 through 2013:[14][15][16]
- 2013: $1,480,253
- 2012: $1,623,919
- 2011: $837,545
- 2010: $706,227
Notable work
Judicial election financing brief
In 2007, the Campaign Legal Center filed an amici brief with the Court of Appeals for the Fourth District in Duke v. Leake on behalf of itself and nine other organizations "concerned about the influence of money on judicial integrity, impartiality and independence."[17] The nine joining the Legal Center are: American Judges Association, Center for Civic Policy, Demos: A Network for Ideas and Action, The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, League of Women Voters of the United States, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, Progressive Maryland, Public Citizen, Inc. and The Reform Institute.
Duke v. Leake involves a constitutional challenge to several provisions of North Carolina's judicial election public financing program.
Citizens United
The CLC has been an outspoken opponent of the hotly-contested Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, colloquially referred to as Citizens United. According to its website, "The CLC was involved in the litigation from the beginning, filing one amici brief with the district court and two amici briefs with the Supreme Court."[18]
IRS targeting
In October of 2010, the CLC and another organization backed by Pew Charitable Trusts and the Open Society Foundations, Democracy 21, wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) petitioning the agency to "conduct an investigation into whether Crossroads GPS, a tax-exempt group organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(4), [was] operating in violation of its tax status because it has a primary purpose of participating in political campaigns in support of, or in opposition to, candidates for public office."[19][20]
This letter and several others sent by the CLC and Democracy 21 tangentially linked the groups to the IRS targeting scandal, which broke in May 2013. Lois Lerner, then-head of the tax-exempt organizations division of the IRS, found herself the target of a Congressional inquiry and FBI probe when emails from her expressing her interest in denying the Crossroads GPS 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status and targeting other conservative-leaning 501(c)(4) groups, were released to the public.[21] Democracy 21 raised similar concerns regarding the tax-exempt status of Priorities USA, American Action Network and Americans Elect. Lerner, however, only targeted right-leaning groups.[22]
Potential presidential candidate complaints
In March 2015, the CLC and Democracy 21 filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaints against four potential 2016 presidential candidates, contending the four were "violating campaign-finance laws by building campaign infrastructure without formally 'testing the waters' for a bid." The complaints were leveled against Jeb Bush (R), Scott Walker (R), Rick Santorum (R) and Martin O'Malley (D).[23]
“These 2016 presidential contenders must take the American people for fools — flying repeatedly to Iowa and New Hampshire to meet with party leaders and voters, hiring campaign staff and raising millions of dollars from deep-pocketed mega donors, all the while denying that they are even ‘testing the waters’ of a presidential campaign,” said Paul S. Ryan, senior counsel to Campaign Legal Center. By refraining from publicly stating that they are "testing the waters," potential candidates are not subject to FEC regulations and campaign contribution caps.[23]
Per Politico, "The FEC distinguishes between non-candidates, candidates who are “testing the waters” and formally declared candidates. Candidates who are testing the waters can conduct polls, travel and make calls about a potential run. But if candidates raise more than $5,000 or formally refer to themselves as candidates, they’re required to register with the FEC and are subject to reporting and disclosure requirements."[23]
Pras Michel investigation
On April 13, 2015, the CLC once again partnered with Democracy 21 by filing a complaint with the FEC and penning a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging the agencies to "investigate possible violations of campaign finance laws by rap artist Pras Michel, his company SPM Holdings LLC, the Super PAC Black Men Vote and its Treasurer, William Kirk Jr. relating to 'straw donor' contributions totaling $875,000 made by Pras Michel to Black Men Vote in the name of SPM Holdings LLC." In reaching out to the two agencies, the CLC and Democracy 21 requested both civil and criminal investigations.[24][25]
In the complaint, the CLC and Democracy 21 argued that Michel was attempting to conceal his identity by donating $875,000 to the Black Men Vote Super PAC via his limited liability company (LLC), SPM 2012 Holdings. This, despite the fact Michel also donated $350,000 to the Super PAC through a personal account, thereby explicitly disclosing his name. Still, Paul S. Ryan, FEC Program Director at the Campaign Legal Center, maintains Michel was attempting to skirt the law, saying, “This seems a clear cut violation of the straw donor prohibition, complete with a confession, and the FEC needs to act to uphold the law in order to prevent wholesale evasion of disclosure laws."[24][25]
Stephen Klein, staff attorney and research counsel for the Pillar of Law Institute (POLI), has a different theory as to why the CLC chose to pursue this and other complaints regarding campaign finance:[24]
| “ | There’s a method to Campaign Legal’s legal madness. The more complaints it files with the FEC, the slower the FEC will act, adding to an inaccurate narrative that the agency is underfunded and powerless even though it’s simply wasting time on frivolous complaints. More pointedly, changes to federal election law or regulation are not likely to happen in Congress or at the FEC anytime soon, at least not to the liking of so-called “reform” groups. So, expansion (or outright manipulation) of existing law is the only game in town for the 2016 election cycle. Although complaints like this will likely not even go to court, they tie up groups like Black Men Vote with legal work and will, Campaign Legal hopes, scare other groups into complying not with the law itself, but reformers’ reading of it.[6] | ” |
| —Stephen Klein | ||
Connections
The CLC has partnered with a variety of organizations over the years. Below is a list of some of the more prominent partnerships and connections:
- Democracy 21: The two groups have partnered on numerous occasions to write letters to various governing agencies and file briefs.
- Common Cause: Common Cause lists the CLC as a "coalition partner" on its website. Additionally, Meredith McGehee, the CLC's Policy Director, is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Lobbyist for Common Cause.[26][27]
- Brennan Center for Justice: The Brennan Center is listed as one of the CLC's funders.[8]
- Open Society Foundations: The George Soros-backed OSF funds the CLC.[8]
- Center for Public Integrity: These groups feature the other's work on their respective websites.[28][29]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "The+Campaign+Legal+Center"
See also
External links
- The Campaign Legal Center official website
- The Campaign Legal Center on Facebook
- The Campaign Legal Center on Twitter
- The Campaign Legal Center on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ The Campaign Legal Center,"About Board," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ Caplin & Drysdale, "Trevor Potter," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Our Staff," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Times,"Obama’s surgeon general nominee connected to left-leaning think tank," accessed June 25, 2015
- ↑ The Campaign Legal Center,"History and Mission," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Campaign Legal Center, "Our Issues," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Campaign Legal Center,"Funding," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ National Philanthropic Trust, "What is a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)?" accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Vanguard Charitable, "Compare giving options," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Fidelity Charitable, "Donor-Advised Funds," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ WebCache, "Institutionalizing delay: foundation funding and the creation of U.S. climate change counter-movement organizations," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Drexel University, "ROBERT BRULLE, PHD," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ GuideStar.org, "Campaign Legal Center 2013 990," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ GuideStar.org, "Campaign Legal Center 2012 990," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ GuideStar.org, "Campaign Legal Center 2011 990," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center,"CLC Files Amici Brief in Judicial Public Financing Case," August 14, 2007
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Citizens United v. FEC," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Scribd.com, "IRS Investigation letter," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsoros - ↑ Time, "Emails Point to IRS Official’s Role in Targeting Conservative Groups," April 9, 2014
- ↑ Democracy 21, "Democracy 21 and Campaign Legal Center Challenge Tax Exempt Status of Crossroads GPS, Priorities USA, American Action Network and Americans Elect, Urge Prompt Investigations and Action by Internal Revenue Service," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Politico, "Group files FEC complaints against Jeb Bush, other potential candidates," March 31, 2015
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Pillar of Law Institute, "Killing Speech Softly: Campaign Legal Calls for Another Investigation," April 17, 2015
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Campaign Legal Center, "FEC Complaint Filed Against Pras Michel and Super PAC Black Men Vote for Apparent “Straw Donor” Contributions of $875,000," April 13, 2015
- ↑ Common Cause, "Coalition Partners: Campaign Legal Center," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Team: Meredith McGhee," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Center for Public Integrity, "Campaign Legal Center - news and investigations," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Center for Public Integrity," accessed April 7, 2015
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