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On Demand
Basic

An Overview of State and Local Campaign Finance Laws

1h 30m

Created on April 07, 2016

Beginner

Overview

The 2016 presidential election is well underway. There has been an intense focus on campaign finance in this race. Voters from all sides of the political spectrum have been voicing their frustration. The leading presidential candidates from both parties have been speaking out about this issue. Former President Jimmy Carter said that the Citizens United decision gives “legal bribery the chance to prevail” and that the massive infusion of money is the biggest change he’s seen in American political life. President Obama made the issue a core theme of his State of the Union address. At the federal level, money seems to be flooding our political system, but there is much progress at the state and local level in stopping this flood.

 

In this program, Ms. Loprest visits the basic constructs of campaign finance regulation. She then explains the Supreme Court jurisprudence within which such regulations must exist, including Buckley v. Valeo, which established the constitutional standard through recent Court decisions in Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC. She then discusses activities and regulations in the states and local jurisdiction. This course is an excellent guide for attorneys who need to advise their clients on how to make campaign contributions and engage in political activity within the confines of today's legislative and judicial updates at the state and local levels.

 

Learning Objectives:

I.     Explore the basic components and concepts of campaign finance regulation 

II.    Learn the major Supreme Court cases and the constitutional standards for campaign finance regulation

III.   Identify state and local regulations on campaign contributions including “Pay-to-Play” laws

IV.   Recognize possible campaign finance disclosure requirements both for direct campaign activity and independent expenditures

V.    Understand concepts in public campaign financing

 

 

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