Political law links, 2/21/13

NEW NONPROFIT. Roll Call. “Watts said his new organization, a 501(c)(4), would formalize an event that he has held in Haymarket, Va., for the past three years that served to connect African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities interested in working for Republicans on Capitol Hill with GOP offices.”

JACKSON FACES PRISON. The Post. “Court documents filed Wednesday outlined for the first time how extensively Jackson and his wife, Sandra Stevens Jackson, 49, used campaign funding for personal expenses — from the extravagant to the mundane. In addition to high-end items such as a gold watch and fur wraps, the Jacksons used campaign cash and credit cards to pay for movie tickets, health club dues, dry cleaning, private-school tuition and trips to Costco.”

GUILTY PLEAS IN JACKSON CASE. Chicago Tribune. “Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, pleaded guilty today in what prosecutors said was a conspiracy to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign funds for their personal use.”

JUDD MEETS. The Hill. “Last week, Judd met with Democratic donors in the state at a dinner at the home of Christy Brown, the widow of Jack Daniel’s whiskey magnate Owsley Brown II, who is active in state politics.”

AXE ON LIMITS. HuffPo. “David Axelrod, the former top political adviser to President Barack Obama, called for the end of candidate contribution limits as a way to wrest control of elections from the less accountable super PACs and other groups that have proliferated since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling.”

PRAISE FOR VOTING COMMISSION. The Post. “Conservatives question why the federal government needs to get more involved with voting. Voting-rights activists wonder why the president needs a commission when he could champion any of the sensible reform proposals already sitting in Congress.”

FUNDRAISING DIRECTOR TO DENMARK. The Post. “Rufus Gifford, former Democratic National Committee finance chair and more recently President Obama’s near-legendary 2012 campaign fundraising chief, is said to be the leading pick for ambassador to Denmark.”

GASPARD TO SOUTH AFRICA. Story here. “Patrick Gaspard, the longtime labor organizer and adviser to President Barack Obama, is poised to be tapped as ambassador to South Africa, sources confirmed to POLITICO.”

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

Today’s political law links, 2/20/13

AGGREGATE LIMIT CASE TO BE HEARD. USAT. “In a move that could signal the end of a key restriction on political giving, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will consider a case challenging the limit on how much individuals can donate directly to federal candidates and political parties.”

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CASE. The Times. “In what may turn out to be the most important federal campaign finance case since the 2010 decision in Citizens United, the court agreed to decide whether aggregate limits on federal campaign contributions are constitutional.”

LIMITS WILL BE CONSIDERED. The Post. “The Citizens United decision was a big boost to interest groups, weakening the ability of campaigns and parties to compete with them. There are no limits on the amount that individuals can contribute to super PACs. The challenge would restore some of the balance by removing restrictions on the political parties.”

LIMIT CASE TO BE HEARD. Politico. “Three years since the landmark Citizens United decision that dramatically changed campaign finance laws, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will take up another campaign finance case challenging how much donors can give to campaigns and committees.”

IRS SUIT. The Hill. “A former Democratic congressional candidate and a government watchdog are suing the IRS, claiming the agency has allowed political groups to flout campaign finance laws.” Politico has more.

SCIENCE SUPER PAC. Story here. “A veteran La Jolla lobbyist has created a super PAC in hopes of raising up to $100 million to support candidates in the 2014 Congressional elections who will push for increases in federal funding for basic scientific research, especially in the life sciences.”

RETURN OF WOF. Politico. “A number of super PACs that formed specifically to support candidates in the 2012 elections are grappling with the question of what to do now — and to figure out what to do with their cash.”

CA: PROPOSED LOBBYIST FINE. Story here. “The Fair Political Practices Commission has proposed fining a former Sierra Club lobbyist $24,500 for failing to file quarterly disclosure reports for nearly two years.”

CA: NO LIMITS IN PASADENA. Story here. “Unlike most other cities, Pasadena has no cap on political donations, and for some candidates, that has meant big money.”

FL: ETHICS REFORM MOVING. Story here. “A Senate committee unanimously approved an ambitious ethics bill Tuesday and set it up to be the first bill voted out of the Florida Senate but only after it exempted current lawmakers from the ‘revolving door’ limits on lobbying the governor and his agencies.”

MD: LOBBYIST LOSES APPEAL. Story here. “It was a valiant effort, but Maryland super-lobbyist Bruce Bereano’s attempt to erase his 1994 federal fraud convictions was stopped in its tracks Feb. 8 by the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.” The opinion is online here.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links (2/19/13)

BENEFITS TRUST AND WALGREENS REACH AGREEMENT ON POLITICAL DISCLOSURE. HLS Forum on Corp. Governance and Financial Reg. “The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust (Trust) and leading drugstore chain Walgreen Co. (Walgreens) recently announced an agreement to a multi-year collaboration in which the company would develop a best practice policy approach to corporate political spending and lobbying activities.” (H/T Steven Sholk.)

TRIP FUNDING IN THE NEWS. The Post. “The overseas travel is covered by an exemption Congress granted itself for trips deemed to be cultural exchanges.”

OFA SCANDAL WARNING.  The Hill.  “Government watchdog groups once allied with President Obama warn he could become embroiled in a second-term scandal because of ties to a group set up to collect unlimited donations.”

FELONY CHARGES IN JACKSON CASE. CNN. “Federal prosecutors Friday filed felony charges against former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., alleging the illegal misuse of about $750,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses and gifts.”

MENENDEZ PROBE UPDATE. Politico. “FBI agents are investigating allegations that Sen. Bob Menendez had sex with prostitutes while staying in the Dominican Republic home of a close friend and big donor, Florida eye surgeon Dr. Salomon Melgen, according to a new report.”

CA: FINE IN LA. Story here. “A donor to the mayoral campaigns of City Controller Wendy Greuel and council members Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry was fined $170,000 on Thursday by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission for laundering dozens of campaign contributions.”

MT: REFORM ROLL OUT. Story here. “The bill, not yet introduced, is a sweeping reform of state campaign-finance laws, aimed at forcing more disclosure on campaign spending, reducing the influence of outside groups and directing more campaign contributions to candidates.”

NE:  LOBBYIST CONTRIBUTION SESSION BAN PROPOSED.  Story here.  “Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery thinks it’s time for Nebraska to join the 28 other states that prohibit lobbyists from making campaign donations to lawmakers while the Legislature is in session.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.