In 1990, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce sought to run this ad but the Supreme Court, in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, upheld the state law banning such communications. In January, the Supreme Court overruled Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and held that such ads are constitutionally protected. So, twenty years after the […]
Month: March 2010
Lobbying jackpot in Massachusetts
The Boston Herald has the latest on gambling interests’ lobbying activity here. The amount spent by firms, unions and interest groups hoping to influence the gambling debate has grown from just over $800,000 in 2006 to more than $2 million in 2009, according to an Associated Press review of records filed with the secretary of […]
Birmingham News on localities lobbying
To follow-up on a story I noted about Jefferson County, Alabama, The Birmingham News editorializes about the county commission’s decision to hire the most expensive lobbyist who bid here. Hiring a lobbyist is irresponsible. Even during the best of times financially, a government body paying a private firm to lobby another branch of government is […]