Last week the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the law barring contractors from contributing to candidates, parties, and candidates’ and parties’ committees.

Plaintiffs had challenged the constitutionality of 52 U.S.C. § 30119(a)(1), which prohibits any vendors with contracts with the federal government from making political contributions to federal candidates or political parties. In Wagner v. Federal Election Commission, the plaintiffs had asked the court to declare the law unconstitutional as applied to individuals who have personal services contracts with federal agencies.

Because federal workers who are not contractors may make federal political contributions while contractors performing the same work may not, the suit argued the law violates both the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and the First Amendment.

Today, the Federal Election Commission elected Ann Ravel as its chairwoman. Ravel replaces Lee E. Goodman, who was appointed with Ravel to the commission in 2013.

The chairmanship is a rotating, one-year position. No commissioner may serve as chair more than once during his or her term.

Today, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is considering final rules concerning independent expenditures and electioneering communications by corporations and labor organizations. In response to the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC U.S. Supreme Court decision, the commission has written rules expected to be approved at today’s meeting. The rules will be effective once they have been transmitted to Congress for a 30-legislative-day review period. The FEC will also consider proposed rule-making and interim final rule responses to McCutcheon v. FEC.