The Brennan Center filed a brief Friday urging the Supreme Court to uphold Montana’s 100-year-old ban on corporate election spending, and use the case to revisit Citizens United. “This 2010 ruling, extended by lower federal courts, has spawned the super PACs now threatening to bring Wild West corruption to federal elections,” writes Adam Skaggs in Politico. The brief argues the Court can clarify super PAC rules without overturning the decision. Listen to Skaggs discuss the case on KPCC Los Angeles.
Voting Rights Act Upheld
A D.C. Circuit court upheld Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a key civil rights law that helped combat rampant discrimination in voting. “Following a year that has seen the biggest rollback of voting rights in a generation, the Voting Rights Act is more important than ever,” said the Brennan Center’s Wendy Weiser. “Instead of rolling back voting rights, lawmakers should focus on improving our voting system and increasing access to the polls. We call on members of all political parties to support reforms that help Americans vote rather than misguided efforts to roll back the clock on voting rights.”
States Shouldn’t Divert Foreclosure Funds
Lawmakers in 15 states have chosen to divert funding from a federal foreclosure settlement. In Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer just signed a state budget that transfers $50 million from the settlement to a general fund to balance the state budget. This not only violates the legal terms of the settlement agreement, it ignores smart fiscal policy, Mark Ladov and Meghna Philip wrote in the Arizona Republic. “Experience shows that foreclosure prevention is a smart investment in our hardest-hit communities, which will lift state budgets and our national economy,” they said.
House Bill Spotlights Modern Voter Registration System
House Democrats introduced the Voter Empowerment Act to help ensure all eligible Americans have the opportunity to vote. It is the first federal bill to include modernized voter registration, a proposal first introduced by the Brennan Center in 2008. “Modernizing voter registration is something everyone can get behind,” said Wendy Weiser. “It is an innovative reform that could add more than 50 million eligible citizens to the rolls, permanently.”
- How to Make Our Election System Better: Modernizing Voter Registration
(New America Media, 05/22/12) - We Can’t Let the Attacks on Voting Rights Succeed
(Chicago Sun-Times, 05/22/12) - Citizens United, the Sequel
(KPCC, 05/21/12) - Supreme Court Faces Pressure to Reconsider Citizens United Ruling
(Washington Post, 05/21/12) - Odd Time to Purge Voter Rolls
(Tampa Bay Times, 05/20/12) - Obama Campaign Working to Counter New Voter ID Laws
(Washington Post, 05/19/12) - Campaign Finance Reform Sought, but Will it Come?
(Democrat and Chronicle, 05/19/12) - Obama Camp Arms Voters With Information on Strict, New Voting Laws
(The Wall Street Journal, 05/18/12) - Senators Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Law Banning Corporate Donations
(Roll Call, 05/18/12) - Democrats Counter GOP Voting Restrictions
(The Nation, 05/18/12)
States Must Use Foreclosure Settlements to Actually Prevent Foreclosures
While studies continue to reiterate the value of foreclosure counseling and legal services, states continue to divert funds intended for foreclosure prevention into other programs. The smart and logical fiscal response is to use the foreclosure settlement funds for the prevention programs they were intended for.
What We’re Reading Today: Civil Rights Revocation
A daily round-up of quick hits, clips, and opinion pieces touching on key issues of democracy, justice, liberty and national security.
Undoing the Damage of Citizens United
In a Montana campaign finance case, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to fix the Citizens United mess. It should do so not (just) for the sake of its own legitimacy, but for the sake of American democracy.
Illustrations by Risko
Fighting Foreclosure
In this multi-part video series, homeowners speak about the devastating consequences of facing the loss of a home without an attorney. Based on interviews conducted around the country, the videos feature homeowners, legal aid lawyers, housing counselors, and community leaders.
Fighting Foreclosure: Why Legal Assistance Matters is a project of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and the National Coalition for the Civil Right to Counsel. The series was produced by Sarah P. Reynolds.
What We’re Reading Today: Civil Rights Revocation
A daily round-up of quick hits, clips, and opinion pieces touching on key issues of democracy, justice, liberty and national security.