Commentary
In Wisconsin, Judges Are Elected—But Candidates Are Now Publicly Financed
Wisconsin’s 2011 Supreme Court election has been widely criticized, but there are also some silver linings. Most importantly, this election illustrates the importance of Wisconsin’s new judicial public financing system.
Authored by: Mark Ladov and Maria da Silva
– 05/06/11
Darkness or Disclosure?
Secret spending in our elections is a toxic problem. But last week, strong steps in the right direction were taken to fix it.
Authored by: Elizabeth Kennedy
– 04/27/11
Bringing Transparency to Maryland Elections
Dark money in politics poses a serious threat to our democracy. Maryland's disclosure laws are some of the worst in the country, but a new bill, currently awaiting the governor's signature, seeks to bring clarity on the Chesapeake.
Authored by: Mimi Marziani
– 04/22/11
Did Marge Have a Bake Sale or Did Monty Burns Write a Check?
Many of the financial disclosure laws that govern our elections are woefully out of date. Oregon's Legislature is currently considering a bill that would fix this problem through improved on-ad disclaimers.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
– 04/16/11
Emily Berman Discusses the PATRIOT Act in New Podcast
Emily Berman participated in the most recent installment of the There Is No Spoon podcast series, which examined civil rights and civil liberties issues raised by the PATRIOT Act and FBI stings authorized under the 2008 Attorney Generals’ Guidelines issued by then Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
– 04/12/11
Citizens Get United
Lady Gaga broke ties with Target because of their anti-LGBT political spending, but now we must fight for more corporate transparency laws so citizens can see who is spending money and where.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
– 03/24/11
We Can’t Rely Only on Whistle-Blowers
Months after the 2010 elections ended, America is still waiting for insiders to come forward to let the public know where the secret money in campaigns came from. That is why America needs more robust transparency laws.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
– 03/17/11
A Broader Perspective on WikiLeaks
The U.S. already classifies and hides too much information. The danger is that, due to WikiLeaks, it will try to hide more.
Authored by: Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr.
– 03/07/11
Trust but Verify…
As elections turn into fundraising arms races, we need stricter disclosure laws to shine a light on spending. Voters must be able to "trust but verify" the true source of money in politics.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
– 03/01/11
Letter: Maryland Needs Greater Campaign-Finance Transparency
In the political arena, hit-and-run political ads are a growing phenomenon, but thoughtful legislation in the Maryland legislature could put an end to this problem.
Authored by: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
– 02/14/11