SCOTUS AND CU. The Post. “A narrowly divided Supreme Court on Monday reaffirmed its landmark 2010 decision allowing corporations to spend unlimited money on elections, deciding that a state court was wrong to uphold Montana’s century-old ban on political spending by businesses.” The Times report is here. The decision is here. WH reaction is here.
ATP AND DRIVE TO AMEND. Roll Call. “The Supreme Court’s Monday ruling to strike Montana’s ban on corporate campaign spending opens a new chapter in the political money wars, fueling an improbable but increasingly vocal movement to amend the Constitution.”
$3 BILLION AND COUNTING. CNN. “Campaigns, parties, and PACs have raked in over $2.9 billion so far this year, and spent over $2 billion, according to a Federal Election Commission analysis of the first 15 months of the 2012 cycle released on Monday.”
CONTESTS AND CAMPAIGNS. DId you ever take the time to read (or be tasked with preparing) the fine print on those campaign contests for free dinner and the like? There are a number of legal issues involved. WFB and here.
BRACING FOR THURSDAY. Roll Call. “On K Street, waiting for the Supreme Court’s health care ruling goes something like this: schedule post-decision client conference calls, write multiple drafts of talking points for different outcomes, and hole up in a conference room trying to figure out whether constitutional law-speak can translate into English.”
LOBBYING BIZ SCRUTINY. Politico. “‘The model has changed, and I think it’s going to be very difficult for these holding company lobbying firms to compete,’ said Ivan Adler, a headhunter at McCormick Group. ‘It’s all about talent, and if given a choice I think that talent would not like to be under the yoke of a holding company.'”
KENNEDY ALUM PROFILE. The Hill. “Holly Fechner has received a first-class Washington education. Having spent eight years in the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) employ, Fechner was a key cog in the Senate legend’s machine that kept the upper chamber in motion, churning out bill after bill.”
MN LOBBYING. Story here. “Local governments in Minnesota spent more than $8.3 million to lobby state government last year, according to a new state report.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.