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]
As of March 2015, CLC's mission statement was:[3]
| “ | 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.[4] | ” |
Areas of influence
As of March 2015, CLC focused on six main issues: campaign finance, disclosure, government ethics, media policy, redistricting, and voting rights. According to their website, CLC advocated 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."[5]
Finances
In 2013, the CLC listed total revenue of $1,480,253. This was down from 2012's total revenue of $1,623,919. Below is the group's total revenues for 2010 through 2013:[6][7][8]
- 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."[9] 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
CLC was an opponent of the Supreme Court's decision in 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."[10]
Connections
CLC has partnered with a variety of organizations. 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 CLC as a "coalition partner" on its website.[11][12]
- Brennan Center for Justice: The Brennan Center is listed as one of CLC's funders.[13]
- Open Society Foundations: OSF helps fund the CLC.[13]
- Center for Public Integrity: These groups feature the other's work on their respective websites.[14][15]
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
- ↑ The Campaign Legal Center,"History and Mission," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Our Issues," accessed April 7, 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
- ↑ Common Cause, "Coalition Partners: Campaign Legal Center," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center, "Team: Meredith McGhee," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfunding - ↑ 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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