Litigation

Bopp Expands Legal Team in Far-Reaching Effort

By Peter Hardin

Indiana-based lawyer James Bopp Jr.,  working nationwide to dismantle campaign finance regulation, is familiar to Gavel Grab readers (see earlier posts here.) Now an update on Bopp from the Washington Post provides details about his reach.

The lawyer who played a central role in framing the case that led to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision has increased his team of lawyers to 15 and now has 27 cases in play in courts around the country.

“Citizens United is going to have a very substantial impact,” Bopp told the Post. “Obviously, we’re encouraged that we’re on the road back to restoring the First Amendment application to campaign finance.”

Bopp is vice chairman of the Republican National Committee. His legal team is keeping tabs on efforts by states and Congress to respond to Citizens United, which allows corporations and labor unions to spend freely on independent advertising to support or oppose political candidates.

Another Post article highlighted the responses that states are debating, including an effort in almost a dozen states to to mandate that companies disclose political advertising expenditures or try to win approval from  boards or shareholders.

“There are still people out there who think that corporate activity in campaigns is a bad thing, and so there are a lot of efforts to push back on the ruling,” said Jennifer Bowser of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In Montana,  Attorney General Steve Bullock has defended the state’s corporate spending limit, saying it “has served us well and never been challenged.” The Western Tradition Partnership, based in Denver, and  a Montana paint company owner lodged a lawsuit this month challenging Montana’s limits on corporate expenditures as unconstitutional.

You can learn more about Citizens United from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 26, 2010 (boomark / email).