Good morning, here are today’s political law links, 6.18.13

SCOTUS DECIDES. Politico. “The Supreme Court ruled Monday against an Arizona ballot measure requiring new voters to present proof of citizenship before being added to the voting rolls — but the justices dodged the question of whether states could ever impose such a requirement without federal approval.”

CRUZ REACTION. Politico. “Ted Cruz didn’t wait long to mount a legislative response to the Supreme Court’s ruling against Arizona’s voter registration rule.”

OFA MOVES. Story here. “Organizing for Action is launching a seven-figure ad buy championing President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, as POLITICO’s Playbook reported on Monday.”

TIES CUT. Story here. “U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has cut his ties to a Chicago lobbyist after a newspaper report revealed the lobbyist had paid more than $500,000 over the past 10 years to work in his congressional office.”

ART OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING CONFERENCE DEVELOPMENTS. C&E. “For all of the digital hype surrounding the use of data and technology on President Obama’s reelection effort, it was the campaign’s building and nurturing of personal relationships that truly paved the way for success.”

NEW RULES FOR NONPROFITS? Here. “It has engulfed all of Washington in scandal, but the Internal Revenue Service-tea party targeting debacle might finally bring some clarity to rules governing nonprofit organizations.”

HI: WHAT LOBBYIST REPORTS SHOW. Story here. “Lobbyist disclosures in Hawaii may be a misnomer — the records don’t disclose much.”

VA: MANSION RECORDS DIRTY LAUNDRY. The Post. “Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, have used taxpayer money for a range of small personal items they should have paid for themselves under state policy, according to spending records.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Mon. political law links, 6-17-13

ABEDIN ARRANGEMENT QUESTIONS.  Politico.  “Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, is asking the State Department to answer a list of questions about Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s role there and whether she was allowed to trade on ‘political intelligence’ while she was a consultant allowed to represent other clients, POLITICO has learned.”

GRASSLEY AIDE AND PROBE.  Story here.  “Congressional aides are rarely targeted in federal probes, as the official duties of legislative-branch employees are protected under the Constitution.”

NOMINEES’ FUNDRAISING BACKGROUND.  The Post.  “A trio of money men who helped President Obama bring in record donations for his re­election last year were tapped Friday for highly sought diplomatic assignments in Europe.”

NEW ZEALAND HIRES.  BLT.  “Covington & Burling in Washington has signed up to lobby for another country looking to make it easier for its citizens to enter the United States.”

8TH CIRCUIT POLITICAL COMMITTEE CASE.  Story here.  “A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld an Iowa law requiring outside groups to promptly disclose details about their spending to support or oppose political candidates, but struck down other reporting requirements as overly burdensome.”  The opinion is here.

11TH CIRCUIT POLITICAL COMMITTEE CASE.  The opinion is online here.  “This lawsuit challenges certain Florida election laws requiring groups who spend money to influence elections to form ‘political committees’ which must disclose how much they spend and whose money they are spending.”

IRS SLOG.  The Hill.  “House Republicans are resigned to the fact that the investigation into the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups has gone underground.”

WILL ON LERNER.  Here.  “Lerner, it is prudent to assume, is one among thousands like her who infest the regulatory state. She is not just a bureaucratic bully and a slithering partisan. Now she also is a national security problem because she is contributing to a comprehensive distrust of government.”

CA:  ACCUSATION AGAINST BROTHERS.  Story here.  “The Fair Political Practices Commission has accused Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Oakdale, and former Assemblyman Bill Berryhill of laundering more than $40,000 of campaign contributions in 2008.”

CO:  GESSLER RULING.  Here.  “Secretary of State Scott Gessler ‘breached the public trust for private gain’ when he used his office discretionary fund to pay for a trip to a Republican lawyers conference in Florida, the state ethics commission ruled Thursday.”

NC:  GAMING DONATIONS.  Story here.  “Sweepstakes operators, seeking legislation that would legalize their outlawed industry, have flexed their political muscle over the past three years, contributing as much money to N.C. candidates as large utilities.”

TX:  ETHICS VETO.  Story here.  “Gov. Rick Perry came under withering criticism Friday after using his veto to eliminate two bipartisan ethics bills and erase all state funding for the prosecutor’s unit that is investigating his prized cancer research fund.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Good morning, here are Thursday’s political law links, 6/13/13

WHERE ARE THE SUPER PACS? Roll Call. “American Crossroads, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups generally supportive of Republican candidates have so far declined to jump into the race. They have not spent a dollar in the Bay State, although the contest has become more competitive than expected in recent weeks.”

POKER PULL. Story here. “Since the federal government largely shut down the Internet poker industry in April 2011, poker players and the casino industry have been lobbying furiously for the legalization and regulation of the online game at the federal level.”

CREW AND YOUNG SUIT. BLT. “A Washington federal judge today ordered federal prosecutors to disclose more details about a past probe into alleged misconduct by U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) or prepare to better justify the continued secrecy.”

EDSALL ON “DARK MONEY”. The Times. “It is by now abundantly clear that abuse of the 501(c)(4) loophole corrupts and corrodes a campaign-finance system that was hardly a model of rectitude to begin with.”

POLITICAL LAW MOVERS AND SHAKERS. Politico Influence. “Sean Cairncross, former chief counsel at the Republican National Committee, is joining the law firm Holtzman Vogel Josefiak as a partner.”

CFR VIDEO. The Times: “It may not have the political sex appeal of fighting climate change, ending the war on drugs or thwarting hydrofracking, but the issue of campaign finance reform is getting a little celebrity spin this week, compliments of a series of Web videos being released on Wednesday.” For the first time, I might have to give a “NSFW” warning for a link…

ENFORCEMENT MANUAL POSTED. Via @marceelias.  More here.

MIAMI HEARING SET. News here. “The bipartisan election reform commission established by President Barack Obama will meet later this month in Miami — the focal point for the state’s most-recent election meltdown.”

DC: DEVELOPERS EYED. The Post. “Federal investigators appear to have opened a new front in their probe of campaign finance matters in the District.”

DC:  SWEEPING PROBE.  Here.  “A sweeping federal investigation of political corruption in the District has entered a new and fast-paced phase targeting suspected violators of city campaign finance laws, authorities said.”

DC: VIEW ON BROWN CASE. The Post. “So unless citizens and voters make themselves heard, business as usual in D.C. — and the corruption it has bred — will continue.”

MD: MAYOR AT THE BEACH HOUSE. Story here. “Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake acknowledged Wednesday that she spent Memorial Day weekend at the Delaware beach house of a top lobbyist, Lisa Harris Jones.”

OH:  POLITICAL COMMITTEE CASE CERT.  CCP.  “The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) petitioned the US Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari late Tuesday in Corsi v. Ohio Election Commission. The petition challenges a recent decision by the Ohio Court of Appeals that upheld the Ohio Election Commission’s (OEC) interpretation of the major purpose requirement in determining whether or not a group must register as a political action committee (PAC).”

VCT: PRISON IN CASE. Story here. “Middlebury resident David ‘Buffalo’ Moffa was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for his role in a scheme that funneled illegal contributions to the failed congressional campaign of former Connecticut House Speaker Christopher Donovan.”

WI: BILL PASSES . Story here. “The Assembly approved a bipartisan bill Wednesday to double the size of donations politicians can receive and allow Wisconsin residents to register to vote online.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY. I’ll send around the next set of links on Monday. Have a great weekend.