THE POLITICAL LAW EXPLOSION. Has there been a post-CU political law practice explosion? Left and right it seems the political law landscape is changing. In the last few weeks, we’ve had news that Wiley Rein expanded its practice with the addition of Former FEC Chairman Michael Toner. Last month, McGuireWoods announced its new political group. Gober Hilgers is a new firm founded by Chris Gobers, who was recently named a member of Aristotle’s legal “Dream Team” along with Wiley Rein’s Jan Baran and Joe Sandler, Neil Reiff, and Steve Hershkowitz of Sandler, Reiff and Young. The Political Law Group is also on the scene and their firm website also has a political law blog. In the “political law” entry on Wikipedia I noted about 27 law firms with distinct political law practices, and I know I missed a few.
SHAREHOLDER PROTECTION UPDATE. Public Citizen’s Lisa Gilbert explains the importance of corporate disclosure of political activity in The Hill. “Now that corporations have been given the right to freely spend shareholder investments in elections, they also should be required to disclose their political spending to their shareholders, and shareholders should be granted the right to consent or oppose to that political spending.”
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FEC YESTERDAY? An FEC press release is here. For campaigns, the redesignation developments are interesting. You can listen to the meeting here.
RACE TO A BILLION. Roll Call reports on what 2012 may bring in presidential campaign fundraising.
EAC HEARING. The Election Assistance Commission will be the topic of this hearing today held by the Committee on House Administration. Live video will be available at 10:30 a.m.
H-PAC FUNDRAISING. Politico’s got a solicitation for Horizon PAC here. According to Politico, the solicitation explains, “While the potential GOP field of presidential candidates is getting crowded, Ambassador Huntsman stands out as an individual who reveres the U.S. Construction, and believes in limited government and maximum individual freedom.” (I guess he’s a strict constructionist.) According to the information, Horizon PAC is a “registered Utah political committee.”
PATHS AROUND EARMARK BAN? The Times.
DONORS TESTFYING. The Post. “The contributors’ presence at the hearing — first reported by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call — does not violate congressional rules, but watchdogs say it raises the question of whether expert panels are assembled based on their donations.”
HOW’S YOUR SUNSHINE WEEK GOING? In DC, it’s not been too sunny. But that may change later in the week. As I mentioned before, this week is Sunshine Week and to mark the event the Department of Justice launched FOIA.gov to bring “together all the FOIA data collected by the department on behalf of the federal government.”
ALASKA ROBOCALL BILL HEARINGS. A bill (SB 40) proposed in Alaska to ban certain robocalls was the topic of recent hearings. Reports on the issues appear here, here, and here. (H/T Shaun Dakin.)
HAVE A GREAT DAY.