The decision upholding the University of Texas at Austin’s admissions program is a victory for affirmative action supporters.
Legal Affairs
Posted inLaw and Justice
Reformers Sound Alarm: McDonnell Ruling Invites Corruption
Good-government advocates voiced alarm Monday that the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling to overturn former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s 11-count corruption conviction will pave the way for the wealthy and powerful to more brazenly wield influence in government. “By saying that politicians can receive gifts in exchange for political favors, the Supreme Court has enshrined bribery […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Have New York’s Leaders Doomed Major Ethics Reform?
In the wee hours of Saturday, June 18, the New York legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a reform deal that strengthens the ban on coordination between super PACs and campaigns, and strips pensions from public officials who are convicted of felonies related to their office. But instead of cheering, government reform advocates are livid. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Foreign Contributions Risk Unites Liberals, Conservatives
Campaign-finance deregulation has elevated the risk that foreign money will make its way into American elections, and this danger is emerging as a rare point of bipartisan agreement between liberals and conservatives. The threat of foreign campaign contributions and how to stop it was the topic of a bipartisan forum at the Federal Election Commission […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Can a Democracy Reform Agenda Help Democrats Win Back the Senate?
Amid voter outrage at special interest influence, Senate Democrats have unveiled a plan to run on fixing the political system.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Democrats Ramp Up Calls for Garland Confirmation Hearing
Senators Charles Schumer and Sheldon Whitehouse took to the steps of the Supreme Court Wednesday to demand that the Senate give Merrick Garland, President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, a fair confirmation hearing. League of Conservation Voters (LCV) activists joined them, carrying boxes containing petitions with more than 200,000 signatures gathered nationwide calling on Republican senators […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Will Obama Heed Advocates’ Call to Act on Dark Money and Voting Rights?
President Obama used his final State of the Union address to call for a “better politics”-declaring, “We have to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests can’t bankroll our elections.” He added, “We’ve got to make it easier to vote, not harder. We need to […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Will Congress Thwart Puerto Rico’s Best Chance for Relief?
A case before the Supreme Court could give the territory the power to restructure much of its debt—but only if Congress doesn’t get in the way.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
‘Soft Money’ Is Back, and Republicans Want to Make It Official
In their ongoing crusade to roll back campaign-finance regulations, Republican Party leaders have mounted a legal attack on the bipartisan “soft money” ban enacted in 2002. If they succeed, campaign-finance watchdogs warn, American politics will revert to the unsavory practices of the 1990s when wealthy donors, corporations, and unions directed unlimited contributions to party coffers, […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
FEC Deadlocks Over Employer Political Coercion
Last week, the Federal Election Commission deadlocked over whether to investigate allegations that coal baron Robert Murray coerced employees at his company, Murray Energy Corporation, into making campaign contributions. It’s a move that watchdogs warn will give the green light to workplace political coercion, which experts say is on the rise. The case stems from […]
