Attorney James Bopp, Jr. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Montana’s contribution limits, arguing they are an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

Bopp was an attorney in the well-known Citizens United case, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling corporations cannot be prohibited from spending on elections.

Montana’s limits were struck down in 2012 and again in 2015, but the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last October the limits are constitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet said if it will take up the case.

Lobbying

California: “California Political Watchdog Targets ‘Shadow Lobbyists’” by Taryn Luna for Sacramento Bee

Maryland: “Here Are the Top Lobbyists in Maryland for the 2016 Legislative Session” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Oregon: “Post Uber, Portland Leaders Look to Strengthen Lobbying Rules” by Amelia Templeton for Oregon Public Radio

Campaign Finance

“The Next ‘Citizens United’ Is Coming” by Carrie Levine for Center for Public Integrity

District of Columbia: “Close Council Vote Rejects Campaign Contribution Reform” by Rachel Kurzius for DCist.com

Ethics

Colorado: “Colorado Supreme Court to Hear Case Challenging State Ethics Commission’s Role” by Joey Bunch for Denver Post

Elections

“Will Dominant Images of Conventions Be of Unity or Protest?” by Trip Gabriel for New York Times

Florida: “Marco Rubio Will Seek Senate Reelection, Reversing Pledge Not to Run” by Mike DeBonis, Ed O’Keefe, and Sean Sullivan for Washington Post

Florida: “Florida Lawmaker Wants to Give Away an AR-15” by Mike McPhate for New York Times

Legislative Issues

“House Democrats’ Gun-Control Sit-In Turns into Chaotic Showdown with Republicans” by David Herszenhorn and Emmarie Huetteman for New York Times

Lobbying

“Lobby Reports Expected To Show $750+ Million in First Quarter Lobbying” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Indiana: “9-year-old lobbyist weighs in on school safety” by Maureen Hayden in the Tribune-Star News.

Kentucky: “Lawmakers treated to lavish parties in Frankfort” by The Associated Press in Kentucky New Era.

Missouri: “Loophole hides trail of lobbyists’ largesse” by Jason Hancock in the Kansas City Star.

Campaign Finance

“James Bopp Jr. among 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” news release in the Tribune-Star News.

Florida: “Lights grow dim for campaign finance, ethics bills” by The Associated Press in WPEC News.

Maryland: “Maryland lawmakers approve campaign finance reform bill” by The Associated Press in the Washington Post.

New Jersey: “Group raising money for NJ races contests political donation limits” by Herb Jackson in the Bergen Record.

New Jersey: “Contributions from government contractors to New Jersey pols dropped to $7.5 million in 2012” by Anthony Campisi in the Bergen Record.

New York: “Eye on NY Spotlight: Bill Samuels on campaign finance reform and latest Albany scandals” by Robert Harding in the Auburn Citizen.

Texas: “Austin rep proposes restrictions for leftover campaign cash” by Tim Eaton in the Austin American-Statesman.

West Virginia: “House and Senate differ on campaign financing” by Phil Kabler in the Charleston Gazette.

Ethics

Colorado: “Scott Gessler’s discretionary spending not unique, investigator says” by Joey Bunch in the Denver Post.

Florida: “Lawmakers eye ‘blind trust’ in ethics reform bill” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

New York: “Criticism of Cuomo Grows as the Problems in Albany Endure” by Danny Hakim in The New York Times.

New York: “Cuomo addresses ethics package” by Casey Seiler in the Albany Times Union.

Pennsylvania: “Bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state senators to introduce ethics bills” by Kate Giammarise in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Utah: “No Ethics Complaints Against Utah Legislators in Two Years” by Bob Bernick on UtahPolicy.com.

Elections

“Which Governors Are Most Vulnerable in 2014?” by Micah Cohen in the New York Times’ Five Thirty Eight blog.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Majority of Senate Standing Committees Still Aren’t Tweeting” by Joseph Marks in NextGov.

“New Tactics in Fight Against Corruption Include Crowdsourcing, Mobile Games and SMS” by Jessica McKenzie in TechPresident.

Campaign Finance

California: “Crosby, Stills, Nash and Morello rage against Prop. 32” by Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times.

Montana:  “Montana appeals ruling as campaigns eye unlimited donations” by Mike Dennison in the Billings Gazette.

“James Bopp Jr. Gets Creative” by Jon Campbell in Slate.

Lobbying

Florida: “Butterworth skirts state lobbying laws with Broward contract” by Mary Ellen Klas in the Miami Herald.

Ethics

“Todd Akin Flubs Another Financial Disclosure, Amends 10 Years of Forms” by Neils Lesniewski in Roll Call.

Illinois: “Illinois powerbroker Cellini is sentenced to a year in prison” by Annie Sweeney in the Morris Daily Herald.

Pennsylvania: “Ex-LCB chairman Stapleton resigns amid ethics probe” by Angela Couloumbis in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

South Carolina: “Ethics Commission Owed $2 Million Plus in Fines” by Shawn Drury in the St. Andrews Patch.

Government Tech and Social Media

“Digital Campaigning: Meet the Marketing Wizards of D.C.” by Matt Petronzio in Mashable.

“Are Digital States Graduating with Honors, or in Detention?” by Kristy Fifelski in GovTech.

Photo of the U.S. Capitol by UpstateNYer on Wikipedia.

A Montana Supreme Court’s decision upholding the state’s law prohibiting independent political expenditures by a corporation related to a candidate, in spite of Citizens United v. FEC, has been appealed to the US Supreme Court.

According to the SCOTUSblog, Justice Kennedy has called for a response from the state of Montana by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15.

For a detailed explanation of the appeal, see Lyle Denniston’s article on SCOTUSblog at http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/02/new-citizens-united-sequel-2.

In December of last year, the Montana Supreme Court found Citizens United v. FEC did not compel invalidating the state’s 1912 Corrupt Practices Act.

In the Court’s majority opinion in Western Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Attorney General of the State of Montana, the Court wrote, “The corporate power that can be exerted with unlimited political spending is still a vital interest to the people of Montana.”

The Court concluded the state, because of its history and the history of the Act, has a compelling interest to impose statutory restrictions, emphasizing the Citizens United decision allows restrictions to be upheld if the government demonstrates a sufficiently strong interest.

In making its argument, the decision asserts that a “material factual distinction between the present case and Citizens United is the extent of the regulatory burden imposed by the challenged law.” The Court found in contrast to the “complexity and ambiguity” of restrictions for federal PACs, PACs formed and maintained in the state are “easily implemented” by the filing of “simple and straight-forward forms or reports.”

Attorney James Bopp, Jr., counsel of record for the petitioner, argues for the US Supreme Court to summarily reverse the Montana decision, writing, “The lower court’s refusal to follow Citizens United is such an obvious, blatant disregard of its duty to follow this Court’s decisions that summary reversal is proper.”

The New Mexico Republican Party, represented by attorney James Bopp, Jr., has filed a lawsuit challenging New Mexico’s campaign finance law. The suit asks the federal district court in Albuquerque to declare unconstitutional part of a state law which sets a contribution limit of $5,000 to or by political parties. The law was passed in 2009, but did not become effective until after the 2010 election.

The lawsuit also contends that federal election law precludes New Mexico from restricting how much money a national political party can give to a state party organization for election work, such as registering voters and encouraging voter turnout.

The Republican National Committee has filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court challenging limits on the amounts a political party can spend in coordination with candidates. Filed on the RNC’s behalf by James Bopp, Jr., the RNC argues the expenditures constitute the party’s free speech.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele said, “The right of political parties to express their members’ views about their candidates for office while also working directly with those candidates to help elect them is crucial to a healthy democracy.”

The case being appealed, Cao v. FEC, found contribution limits constitutional as applied to the RNC.