America’s media are obsessed with Washington, but in our federal system much of the law-writing takes place in the 50 states. This is one reason to welcome a new index detailing how well each state protects the First Amendment right to engage in political speech.Source: The Free Speech States...
Under the terms of the omnibus spending bill voted on by the House, states will receive $380 million within months to start to strengthen the security of our nation’s election infrastructure.Source: Federal Funds for Election Security: Will They Cover the Costs of Voter Marked Paper Ballots?...
At the request of Gov. Jerry Brown, the state’s political watchdog panel on Thursday delayed action on a controversial plan that could transfer power from its full-time chairwoman to give other, part-time commissioners a greater say in key decisions.Source: California campaign watchdog panel divided over proposed dramatic oversight changes...
Rep. Derek KilmerDerek Christian KilmerWith bills on the table, Congress must heed the call to fix our national parks McConnell, Schumer tap colleagues to explore budget reform Ryan, Pelosi name members to new budget and pension committees MORE (D-Wash.Source: Congress to require FEC report on foreign money in elections...
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and a three-judge panel of the Middle District of Pennsylvania both ruled earlier this week that the new congressional district map drawn by the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court could remain in effect.Source: Democrats Are Using Courts To Take Redistricting Power Away From Legislatures...
When Donald Trump was elected, a lot of people in California signed a petition supporting the state’s secession from the U.S. It was hard to take the movement seriously—didn’t we fight a war over this?Source: Are some states headed for Splitsville? Movement grows to allow sections of states to break away...
Would giving up our constitutional rights make our country more democratic? Would regulating speech make government more accountable to the people? Shockingly, some answer these questions with "yes."Source: Did Free Speech Destroy American Democracy?...
The Federal Election Commission has launched a preliminary investigation into whether Russian entities gave illegal contributions to the National Rifle Association that were intended to benefit the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election, accordingSource: FEC probes whether NRA got illegal Russian donations...
The Federal Election Commission issued proposals this week for new rules to improve the disclosure of political ads online, spurred by the revelation last year that Russian government operatives purchased online ads in their attempt to influence the 2016 elections.Source: Don't Let the Russia Story Obscure the Campaign Finance Reform We So Desperately Need...
Russia never would have been able to conduct “information warfare” against the United States in the way it did in the 2016 presidential election without Facebook, Twitter and Google.Source: Will new Facebook scandal finally force tech CEOs to testify on 'information warfare'?...
