Lobbying

Texas: “City Officials Question Oversight of Visit Austin” by Shonda Novak for Austin American-Statesman

Utah: “Utah Bars Fighting the State’s Strict New DUI Law with Fundraising and Petition Drive” by Kathy Stephenson for Salt Lake Tribune

Campaign Finance

“Amid Trump’s Unpopularity, Democrats Face Criticism for Not Investing More in Special Elections” by Mike DeBonis and David Weigel for Washington Post

Florida: “Someone Raised $200K from Miami Beach Bigwigs, But No One Will Say Why” by Nicholas Nehamas and Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

South Carolina: “South Carolina Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant’s New Campaign Account Under State Ethics Review” by Andy Shain for The State

Ethics

“Top Intelligence Official Told Associates Trump Asked Him If He Could Intervene with Comey on FBI Russia Probe” by Adam Entous for Washington Post

“Comey Told Sessions: Don’t leave me alone with Trump” by Michael Schmidt and Matt Apuzzo for New York Times

“Trump Organization to Go Budget Friendly With ‘American Idea’ Hotel Chain” by Steve Eder and Ben Protess for New York Times

“Intelligence Contractor Is Charged in First Leak Case Under Trump” by Charlie Savage for New York Times

Florida: “City Councilman Tried to Sell His Vote to Fill Council Seat for $15,000, Witnesses Testify” by Brett Kelman, Jesse Marx, ands Rosalie Murphy (Palm Beach Desert Sun) for USA Today

Redistricting

“US Supreme Court Affirms NC Legislative Districts as Racial Gerrymanders” by Anne Blythe for Raleigh News and Observer

Lobbying

“White House Moves to Block Ethics Inquiry into Ex-Lobbyists on Payroll” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

California: “California Is About to Go Nuts Thanks to Some Fourth-Graders from Merced” by Robert Rodriguez for Fresno Bee

Campaign Finance

“Michael Flynn Invokes 5th Amendment, Citing ‘Public Frenzy’” by The Associated Press for Portland Oregonian

“Supreme Court Affirms Ban on ‘Soft Money’ in Campaigns” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

“Bullock Vetoes Bill to Raise Allowable Campaign Contributions” by Holly Michels for Billings Gazette

Ethics

Arkansas: “Panel: Dallas Cowboys owner violated Arkansas ethics law” by John Lyon (Arkansas News Bureau) for Arkansas Online

New Jersey: “Frelinghuysen Hit with Ethics Complaint Over Outing of Activist to Her Employer” by Justin Zaremba (NJ Advance Media) for Newark Star-Ledger

South Carolina: “How South Carolina Lawmakers Are Re-examining Their Rule Book after Statehouse Probe Indictments” by Andy Shain for Charleston Post and Courier

Redistricting

North Carolina: “Supreme Court Ruling Wipes Out Republican-Drawn House Districts in N.C.” by Richard Wolff for USA Today

Campaign Finance

“Crowdpac Helps Candidates Test the Waters” by Eric Garcia for Roll Call

Ethics

“F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump” by Michael Shear and Matt Apuzzo for New York Times

“Sally Yates Tells Senators She Warned Trump About Michael Flynn” by Matt Apuzzo and Emmarie Huetteman for New York Times

Michigan: “4th Macomb County Official Cuts Deal in Rizzo Corruption Scandal” by Tresa Baldas for Detroit Free Press

New York: “Rikers Tumult Rises: Prison official accused of spying on investigator” by William Rashbaum and Michael Schwirtz for New York Times

Pennsylvania: “Court Voids Ex-House Speaker Bill DeWeese’s $116K Restitution for Corruption Convictions” by Matt Miller for PennLive.com

Elections

“Who Has Trump’s Ear? Often Rich, White, Republican Men.” by Andrew Restuccia and Aiden Quigley for Politico

Washington: “Seattle Mayor Ed Murray Won’t Seek Second Term: ‘It tears me to pieces to step away’” by Daniel Beekman for Seattle Times

Lobbying

Arizona: “Months After It Was Exposed, Phoenix Hasn’t Fixed Toothless Lobbying Law” by Dustin Gardiner and Rob O’Dell for Arizona Republic

Maine: “Lobbyist for Proposed Maine Casino Says Client Was Not Who He Thought It Was” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

Redistricting

Maryland: “Hogan Vetoes Redistricting Bill, Calling Maryland Democrats’ Measure ‘Phony’” by Luke Broadwater for Baltimore Sun

Lobbying

“Would-Be Trump Appointees Say ‘No Thanks’ Due to Lobbying Ban” by Ben Brody, Shannon Pettypiece, and Bill Allison for Bloomberg.com

Oregon: “Gov. Brown Reverses Course, Says Former Lawmaker Will Not Lobby Legislators” by Saul Hubbard for The Register-Guard

Campaign Finance

“FEC Earning Congressional Attention – for the Wrong Reasons” by Dave Levinthal for Center for Public Integrity

Ethics

Florida: “Corrupt Opa-locka Official Was a Prized Witness. He Was Rewarded with No Prison Time.” by Jay Weaver for Miami Herald

New Mexico: “Senate Yanks Real Estate Bill; Lawmaker Says Pay-to-Play Maneuver Exposed” by Andrew Oxford (Santa Fe New Mexican) for New Mexico Political Report

New York: “Preet Bharara Shunned Politics. His End Was Tinged by Them.” by Benjamin Weiser, Ben Protess, Matthew Goldstein, and William Rashbaum for New York Times

Utah: “Shurtleff Sues State for at Least $1.1M, Alleges Utah A.G. Sean Reyes Interfered in His Case” by Jennifer Dobner for Salt Lake Tribune

Elections

California: “Seeing Red: Membership triples for the Democratic Socialists of America” by Matt Pearce for Los Angeles Times

Legislative Issues

Minnesota: “Lawmakers Clash Over Ethics of Real ID Letter to the Editor” by Don Davis (Forum News Service) for St. Paul Pioneer Press

Redistricting

Texas: “Texas Congressional Maps Are Struck Down for Discrimination” by Manny Fernandez for New York Times

Lobbying

“Companies Lobbying Government Keep Spending Secret from Shareholders: Report” by David Sirota for International Business Times

South Dakota: “Legislature Expands Lobbying Ban to More Officials and Doubles Length” by Bob Mercer for Rapid City Journal

Washington: “Washington Commission Confirms What’s Upstream Stayed Within State Law” by Don Jenkins for Capital Press

Campaign Finance

Mississippi: “House Amends, Passes Senate Campaign Finance Bill” by Geoff Pender for Jackson Clarion-Ledger

Ethics

“White House Lawyer Twice Briefed Conway on Ethics Rules Following Ivanka Product Pitch” by Josh Gerstein for Politico

“White House Power Player Jared Kushner Is Keeping Parts of His Real Estate Empire” by Justin Elliot and Al Shaw for ProPublica

Connecticut: “Watchdog Agencies Worried About Budget Cuts” by Mike Savino for Meriden Record-Journal

Florida: “Rubio Is Asked to Leave Tampa Office Over Disruption from Weekly Protests” by Tony Marrero for Tampa Bay Times

Ohio: “In Selling Bill, Ohio Senator Describes Possibly Illegal Deal” by Jim Siegel for Columbus Dispatch

Redistricting

Virginia: “Supreme Court Says Virginia Redistricting Must Be Reexamined for Racial Bias” by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

Lobbying

“Is It Time for a Lobbyist Union? Juneau Representative Proposes 2.5 Percent Industry Tax” by Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Dispatch News

“Richard Corcoran: Rick Scott’s ethics proposals not personal” by Jim Rusica for Florida Politics

“Senate Committee Compares House and Senate Bills on Lobbyist Gift Restrictions” by Benjamin Peters for Missouri Times

Ethics

“Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Who Defied Him” by Michael Shear, Mark Landler, Matt Apuzzo, and Eric Lichtblau for New York Times

“Two Applicants Seek to Replace Jon Motl as Commissioner of Political Practices” by Troy Carter for Bozeman Daily Chronicle

“Voters to Decide If Crooked State Pols Lose Pensions” by Matthew Hamilton for Albany Times Union

“In Letter, Justice Again Tries to Address Conflicts of Interest” by Andrew Brown for Charleston Gazette

Legislative Issues

“Don’t Like the Ballot Measure Voters Approved? Just Ignore It, Some Lawmakers Say.” by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Redistricting

“Court to Wisconsin Republicans: Redraw election maps” by Jason Stein for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Lobbying

Alaska: “As Clock Ticked Toward Session, Alaska Lawmakers Turned to Lobbyists for Cash” by Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Dispatch News

New Mexico: “Loophole Cuts Lobbyist Spending Reporting” by Sandra Fish for New Mexico In Depth

Ethics

“After Ethics Review, Senate Postpones Committee Vote for Betsy DeVos” by Danielle Douglas-Gabriel for Washington Post

“We Rely on the Government for Lots of Data. What Happens to That in the Era of ‘Alternative Facts’?” by Mark Berman for Washington Post

“Liberal Watchdog Group Sues Trump, Alleging He Violated Constitutional Ban” by David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell for Washington Post

Pennsylvania: “Ex-Mayor Reed Admits Carelessness, Not Criminality, in Pleading Guilty to Stealing City Artifacts” by Matt Miller for Harrisburg Patriot-News

Rhode Island: “Gallison to Admit Stealing from a Friend, the Poor and a Disabled Client” by Tom Mooney for Providence Journal

Redistricting

“Supreme Court Won’t Review Texas Voter Law Found to Discriminate Against Minorities” by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

Lobbying

California: “EBay Faces Fines from State Ethics Watchdog after Failing to Disclose Sacramento Lobbying on Time” by Patrick McGreevy for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

Maine: “Proposal Would Require PACs to Disclose Major Donors” by Steve Mistler for Maine Public Radio

Wisconsin: “After Conviction, Schmitt May Not Seek Re-election” by Adam Rodewall for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ethics

“Trump Sold All Shares in Companies in June, Spokesman Says” by Drew Harwell and Rosalind Helderman for The Washington Post

California: “L.A. Ethics Commission Investigating LAPD’s Watchdog Over Handling of Special Inmate’s Jail Log” by Kate Mather for Los Angeles Times

Florida: “Broward Corruption Cop Sets Up Fight with Cities Over Ethics Reforms” by Brittany Wallman for South Florida Sun Sentinel

Minnesota: “10 U Officials Had Free Access to MSFA Suites at Vikings Stadium” by Rochelle Olson for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Elections

Colorado: “Amendment 71 Made It Harder to Get Initiatives on the Ballot – What Happens Now?” by Brian Eason for The Denver Post

Redistricting

“Justices Wrestle with Role of Race in Redistricting” by Adam Liptak for The New York Times

Lobbying

Indiana: “Holcomb Transition Team Enjoys Pacers Game at Team’s Expense” by Leslie Weidenbener for Indianapolis Business Journal

Oregon: “Governor’s Respected Energy Chief to Step Down, Partly Because of Lobbyist Influence” by Scott Thistle and Tux Turkel for Portland Press Herald

Campaign Finance

“FEC Questions Trump Donations Worth $1.3M” by Mark Hensch for The Hill

New York: “City Council Hears Legislative Package on Conflicts of Interest and Campaign Finance” by Samar Khursid for Gotham Gazette

Washington: “GMO Labeling Supporters Fined $320K Over Campaign Disclosure” by the Associated Press for KOMO

Ethics

“Trump Drops Threat of New Hillary Clinton Investigation” by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear for The New York Times

“Trump Foundation Admits to Violating Ban on ‘Self-Dealing’’ New Filing to IRS Shows” by David Fahrenthold for The Washington Post

Missouri: “Columbia Lawmaker Proposes Ethics Bills in Response to Greitens’ Campaign Promises” by Brittany Ruess for Columbia Daily Tribune

New York: “Percoco, Kaloyeros, Six Others Indicted” by Casey Seiler for Albany Times Union

Pennsylvania: “Pittsburgh’s Revamped Ethics Board Up, Running” by Bob Bauder for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Elections

North Carolina: “North Carolina Governor Alleges Voter Fraud in Bid to Hang On” by Elena Schneider for Politico

Wisconsin: “Many in Milwaukee Neighborhood Didn’t Vote – and Don’t Regret It” by Sabrina Tavernise for The New York Times

Redistricting

Wisconsin: “Judges Find Wisconsin Redistricting Unfairly Favored Republicans” by Michael Wines for The New York Times

Lobbying

“Thought the U.S. Was Divided Already? Just Watch as Elections Go Digital.” by Stephen Ansolabehere for Washington Post

California: “Lawmakers Weaken Bill to Ban Behind-the-Scenes Communications at Coastal Commission” by Dan Weikel for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “Anchorage Rep. LeDoux’s New Fundraising Effort Targets Lobbyists, Bar Owners” by Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Dispatch News

New Jersey: “Voters to Decide on Belmar Pay-to-Play” by Paul Williams for Asbury Park Press

New Mexico: “New Mexico Election Officials Fix Campaign Spending Glitch” by Associated Press for KOB 

Ethics

“Criticize Politicians on Twitter? They Might Block You” by Colin Campbell for Raleigh News & Observer

New York: “For Cuomo, Passing Ethics Bill Was Urgent, Signing It Was Not” by David Howard King for Gotham Gazette

Elections

“One Ally Remains Firmly Behind Donald Trump: The N.R.A.” by Nick Corasaniti and Alexander Burns for New York Times

“Hack of Democrats’ Accounts Was Wider Than Believed, Officials Say” by Eric Lichtblau and Eric Schmitt for New York Times

“Is Trump Wrecking Both Parties?” by Thomas Edsall for New York Times

Redistricting

North Carolina: “Federal Judges Find NC Legislative Districts Unconstitutional” by Lynn Bonner for Raleigh News & Observer

Lobbying

California: “Sweeping Public Utilities Commission Changes Announced” by Jeremy White for Sacramento Bee

Campaign Finance

“Report: It’s harder to know who’s paying for political ads” by Geoff Mulvihill (Associated Press) for Las Vegas Sun

Kentucky: “Ethics Commission OKs Crowdfunding for Legislative Campaigns” by Ryland Barton for WFPL

Massachusetts: “State’s Chief Campaign Official Seeks Heftier Fines for PACs” by Matt Stout for Boston Herald

Ethics

Connecticut: “Cigna-Anthem Merger: Gov. Malloy’s Insurance Regulator Told Ethics Officials She Was Not Involved in Cigna Issues, even as Her Agency Was” by David Sirota for International Business Times

Florida: “Opa-locka’s Ethics Switcheroo Draws Laughs amid FBI Corruption Probe” by Jay Weaver for Miami Herald

South Carolina: “Gov. Nikki Haley Signs Ethics Reform into Law, Endorses Sen. Larry Martin” by Maya Prabhu for Charleston Post & Courier

Virginia: “Supreme Court Vacates Ex-Virginia Governor’s Graft Conviction” by Adam Liptak for New York Times

Elections

“Donald Trump and R.N.C. Crack Down on Rebelling Delegates” by Jeremy Peters for New York Times

Redistricting

North Carolina: “Supreme Court to Review NC’s Use of Race in Redistricting” by Jonathan Drew (Associated Press) for ABC News

Lobbying

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Officials, Lobbyists Split on How to Vet Business Propositions” by Brad Bumsted for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Campaign Finance

“Key G.O.P. Donors Still Deeply Resist Donald Trump’s Candidacy” by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns for New York Times

Massachusetts: “New Bill Would Rein in State GOP’s Fund-Raising” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

Ethics

Alabama: “One-Time Rising Star Hubbard to Stand Trial on Ethics Charges” by Mike Cason for AL.com

Colorado: “Audit: Colorado ethics commission rarely helps those filing complaints” by Joey Bunch for Denver Post

Hawaii: “Hawaii Lawmakers Again Balk at Ethics, Lobbying Reform” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

Elections

“Why Democrats Are Set to Retake State Legislatures in 2016 (and It’s Not Just Trump)” by Amber Phillips for Washington Post

“Bernie Sanders Makes a Campaign Mark. Now, Can He Make a Legacy?” by Jonathan Mahler and Yamiche Alcindor for New York Times

Legislative Issues

Montana: “Term Limits Have Weakened Legislature, Some Observers Say” by Jayme Fraser for Helena Independent Record

Redistricting

Virginia: “Supreme Court Upholds Virginia Redistricting” by Richard Wolf for USA Today

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided a state or locality may draw its legislative districts based on the total population of all people rather than based on only the population of registered voters.

In Evenwel v. Abbott, appellants argued apportionments based on total population for drawing Texas Senate legislative districts diluted their votes in relation to voters in other state Senate districts. They argued such dilution was a violation of the one-person, one-vote principle of the Equal Protection Clause.

While the Court found the apportionment was constitutionally drawn, the decision, written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for six of the Justices, explicitly stated it does not address whether “states may draw districts to equalize voter-eligible population rather than total population.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito each issued separate concurring opinions. The Court decision is available here.

Lobbying

New York: “Nonprofit Linked to Mayor de Blasio Is Closing” by J. David Goodman for New York Times

New York: “Harold Ickes, Mentor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Builds Lobbying Victories” by Michael Grynbaum for New York Times

Campaign Finance

“Scorecard: Essential disclosure requirements for contributions to state campaigns, 2016” by Staff for National Institute on Money in State Politics

“How ‘Ghost Corporations’ Are Funding the 2016 Election” by Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy for Washington Post

Massachusetts: “Large Donations Help Mass. GOP Avoid State Cap” by Frank Phillips for Boston Globe

Mississippi: “Many Mississippi Officials Take from Closed Campaign Accounts, Review Reveals” by The Associated Press for New York Times

Montana: “For Some Montana Office Seekers, It’s Not about Winning” by Bobby Caina Calvan (Associated Press) for Great Falls Tribune

Elections

“The U.S. Has ‘Worst Elections of Any Long-Established Democracy,’ Report Finds” by Rick Noack for Washington Post

“Trump Wannabes Shake Up Cable Airwaves” by Hadas Gold for Politico

Ohio: “Cleveland Prepares for Unrest at GOP Convention” by Tracy Jan for Boston Globe

Redistricting

Virginia: “Supreme Court May Decide against Va. Republicans in Redistricting Fight” by Robert Barnes and Jenna Portnoy for Washington Post