TX MAP DECISION. The Times. “A federal court in Washington ruled on Tuesday that political maps drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature in Texas discriminated against minority voters, a decision that black and Hispanic groups claimed as a victory and the state attorney general vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.”
TECH IN TAMPA. ClickZ. “The bulk of the companies here at the Republican National Convention are traditional media firms with dedicated spaces for their reporters to crank out stories about the big event. Then there are Twitter and Facebook.”
BRIAN ROSS REPORTS. ABC News. “The Republican National Convention, which got into full swing here Tuesday, and next week’s Democratic version in Charlotte, will be the two most expensive, extravagant pairs of political conventions in U.S. history.
NDA’S IN TAMPA. Story here. “One Washington lobbying firm has turned the restaurant into one of the most exclusive and covert hangouts for Republicans, and they’re trying to keep the firm’s role a secret. So far, they have succeeded.”
TAMPA RULES. Story here. “It’s actually against Congressional ethics rules for lobbyists to throw parties for lawmakers at the national conventions—thanks to a 2007 reform bill passed in the wake of the Abramoff scandals—but Monday night showed that the system can easily be gamed.”
CAMPAIGN FINANCE ECOSCAPE. The Times. “This is the first presidential election since the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case removed the last barriers to campaign spending by corporations and other groups.”
HOUSE ETHICS WEIGHS. Story here. “The House Ethics Committee is due to release a statement on allegations that Andrews misused campaign funds by spending tens of thousands of dollars on expenses that benefited himself and his family.”
NY: ETHICS BOARD UPDATE. Here. “New York’s ethics board on Tuesday announced the hiring of another former appointee of Gov. Andrew Cuomo to a top post for the potentially powerful board that regulates ethics and lobbing in the executive and legislative branches.”
WA: PDC ON CHURCH ACTIVITY. Story here. “Washington state’s campaign finance watchdog said Tuesday that the state’s Catholic churches can’t collect donations from their parishioners for the campaign seeking to overturn the state’s gay marriage law.”
A FEW TO CONSIDER FOLLOWING. Following-up from yesterday’s new Twitter accounts, here are some others on Twitter in the political law area: @TheLawlorD, @SteveRKlein, @DBCapStrategies, @CraigReady, @Pronounce_the_T.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.