On November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in National Republican Senatorial Committee v Federal Election Commission, 24-3051. This is the case filed to challenge the federal campaign finance law that controls how much money a political party may spend on its own nominees, assuming the party and the nominee coordinate their activity.
Here is a news story about the argument. UPDATE: here is a more detailed story. UPDATE: here is the transcript.
On November 11, a paid petitioning firm, Advanced Micro Targeting, filed a federal lawsuit to stop another organization that is playing dirty tricks to stop the Missouri referendum petition that AMT is circulating. Advanced Micro Targeting v Let the Voters Decide, w.d. Missouri, 4:25cv-881. Let the Voters Decide is a Florida organization that is not actually trying to help get anyone or any organization on the ballot in any state. Instead it is trying to persuade employees of AMT to break their contract and to take other steps to sabotage the Missouri referendum.
Here is the Complaint. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Greg Kays, a Bush Jr. appointee.
On December 8, a lawsuit was filed against a Georgia campaign finance law that lets the incumbent Governor and Lieutenant Governor receive more campaign contributions than other candidates for those same offices. Safe Affordable Georgia v Krayenbuhl, n.d., 1:25cv-6985. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross, an Obama appointee.
When the Georgia Libertarian Party filed a similar lawsuit several years ago, the federal courts said the party didn’t have standing.
The new case is filed by a group associated with Brad Raffensperger, the incumbent Republican Secretary of State. He is running for Governor in 2026. The incumbent Lieutenant Governor is also running for Governor. Here is the Complaint.
There appears to be no level to which the Republican Party won’t stoop to attack the Citizen Initiative & Referendum process in some states. Richard Winger has previously blogged about the effort in Missouri to place a referendum on the ballot in 2026 to overturn the latest state legislature gerrymandering of the US House district map.
Here is a recent story on what the Republican Party of Missouri is up to now.
Two New Jersey legislators will introduce a bill for ranked choice voting for federal and state office. They are Senator Andrew Zwicker (D-Hillsborough) and Assemblymember Joe Danielsen (D-Somerset). The text of the bill is not yet on the legislature’s website.
