Political law links and have a great 4th

COMMUNICATIONS AND COORDINATION.  Roll Call.  “Party campaign committees and outside groups aren’t allowed to coordinate, but as they outline their fall television ad strategies, interested groups are doing a very public dance to ensure they don’t step on each others’ toes and waste money duplicating efforts.”

ANSWERS SOUGHT.  Roll Call.  “The federal agency regulating and monitoring money in federal elections is seeking answers from a pro-Cochran Super PAC regarding what appears to be campaign finance violations.”

LOBBYIST PLEDGE.  PoliticsPA.  “[Kevin] Strouse reiterated his challenge to Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick at a press conference today. Strouse is calling on his opponent to sign a pledge to promise to never become a lobbyist after leaving the House and to disclose all meetings with lobbyists.”

PAY TO PLAY ALERT.  MOFO.  “The SEC has brought the first action under the ‘pay-to-play’ rule adopted under the Investment Advisers Act.”

FL:  SUPREME COURT RULES ON FINE.  Examiner.  “The Florida Supreme Court has sanctioned a $25,000 fine against a Seminole County judge who admitted to violating the state’s campaign finance laws.”  The opinion is here.

IL:  EMANUEL SUPER PAC TAKE.  Chicago Tribune.  “Some of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s biggest campaign donors dropped $950,000 in one day into a new super political action committee created to help back his run for re-election in 2015.”

IL:  BLAGOJEVICH RELEASED?  Post-Dispatch.  “Rod Blagojevich has long argued that he’s guilty only of typical political horse-trading, not felony corruption. We could be days away from finding out whether a federal appeals court agrees.”

LA:  NAGIN SENTENCING.  WDSU.  “Federal prosecutors said convicted former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin lied on the stand in his corruption trial, ran and organized a bribery scheme, and should face a stiff sentence next week.”

MO:  GIFT TOTALS.  St. Louis Post Dispatch.  “Missouri public officials took in $680,000 in lobbyist gifts during the 2014 legislative session, with nearly all of it going to state lawmakers.”

VA:  “STUNNING” INVESTIGATION.  BDTonline.  “U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said Tuesday that he believes the federal investigation into the recent resignation of former Southwest Virginia lawmaker Phillip Puckett is politically motivated.”

VA:PERSONAL FRIEND EXEMPTION.  RTD.  “Former Gov. Bob McDonnell improperly used a ‘personal friend’ exemption to avoid reporting a $23,000 South Carolina golf vacation from Richmond business leader William H. Goodwin Jr. on his Virginia economic disclosure form for 2012, according to prosecutors.”

VT:  VRLC OPINION ISSUED.  Vermontbiz.com.  “The Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision … today in favor of the State of Vermont, rejecting all elements of Vermont Right to Life Committee’s (VRLC) attack on the State’s campaign finance laws.”  The opinion is here.

HAVE A GREAT 4TH.  I’ll send around the next set of links on Monday.

Wed. political law links

FCC CHANGE.  WP.  “Beginning now, you’re going to be able to sit at your computer and find out where your competition has been taking out ads, when they got them for and for how much money.”

FIRST PAY TO PLAY ENFORCEMENT ACTION.  Proskauer.  “On June 20, 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its first enforcement action under the Pay-to-Play Rule, Rule 206(4)-5 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act).”

COMPLIANCE MOVES.  Congratulations to Scott Stetson on his move to MultiStates Associates, Inc.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR EARMARKS.  RC.  “Speaker John A. Boehner’s office is out with a new video slamming Senate Democrats and pledging that as long as the Ohio Republican is speaker, ‘there will be no earmarks.'”

MUCH ADO ABOUT CHANGE.  NJ.  “Free trips paid for by private groups must still be reported separately to the House’s Office of the Clerk and disclosed there.”

PELOSI PIPES IN.  The Hill.  “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Tuesday for the Ethics Committee to reinstate public disclosure requirements when lawmakers take privately funded trips.”

CU-HOBBY LOBBY CONNECTION.  DelawareOnline.  “Whether the Court’s Hobby Lobby decision does indeed have “startling breadth” remains to be seen. But if it does, some of that breadth may show up in surprising places, like the court’s future campaign finance cases.”

FRANCE:  SARKOZY DETAINED.  VOA.  “Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is in custody of financial investigators while being questioned about insider information he allegedly received about a campaign finance probe.”

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HAVE A GREAT DAY.

today’s political law links

NOT GUILTY VERDICT.  Cleveland.com.  “North Canton businessman Ben Suarez was found not guilty of violating campaign finance laws.”

SHAHEEN TO AMEND.  WFB.  “Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) will amend a personal financial disclosure report to correct what her reelection campaign says is an error, after ethical questions were raised over stock she and her husband own.”

ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE.  WSJ.  ” I think people are talking about ethics, corporations are talking about ethics because that’s the buzzword. But whether they’re really fundamentally changing their cultures to make them more ethical, I have a question about that.”

FIORINA SUPER PAC.  Newsmax.  “Former technology executive Carly Fiorina, who chairs the American Conservative Union Foundation, plans a political assault against Democrats who used a ‘war on women’ narrative to success in 2012 elections.”

MO:  STREETCAR COMPLAINT DERAILED.  Bizjournals.com.  “The Missouri Ethics Commission rejected Citizens for Responsible Government’s ethics complaint alleging that Kansas City officials are attempting to use taxpayer money to influence coming elections.”

CA:  ETHICS IN SF.  SF Examiner.  “The report’s most damning recommendation is that political corruption cases should be handled by California’s oversight body, the Fair Political Practices Commission, on a trial basis instead of The City’s own oversight bodies, such as the Ethics Commission.”

RI:  FUND GREW.  WPRI.  “Former Providence Mayor Vincent A. ‘Buddy’ Cianci Jr.’s old campaign war chest grew by nearly $200,000 during his first two years in federal prison, according to campaign finance records reviewed by WPRI.com.”

RI:  LOAN FOR YEARS.  WPRI.  “Former House Speaker Gordon Fox had a personal loan from a registered legislative lobbyist for several years, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.”

SD:  DONATION FROM PAC.  Argus Leader.  “The catch is that money in the state arm of a party is limited in what it can be spent on — if you’re spending money for or against a federal candidate, then you have to follow FEC rules.”

WV:  NINE NAMED.  WVMetroNews.com.  “Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has chosen the nine people who will serve on the reworked state Ethics Commission. The appointments, which Tomblin announced Monday, will take effect on Tuesday.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.