Important point just now in the NRSC v. FEC argument: the Court's assumptions and predictions in past campaign finance cases have turned out to be wrong in practice. That's a big reason why Citizens United and other decisions have caused such harmful consequences for American politics.

Discussion in NRSC v. FEC keeps returning to how the rise of super PACs has harmed parties. That's clearly true and underscores the need for reform, including ways to strengthen parties. But that's a job for Congress. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

The justices' questions in NRSC v. FEC about future challenges to other campaign finance laws highlights why this is an issue for Congress to address. Money in politics is a complex problem with many facets. But courts consider these laws in isolation.

Interesting to see the justices in the NRSC oral argument press Noel Francisco on future challenges to campaign finance law. This is making explicit how the dynamic at the Court works. Each law is considered in isolation, but the reality it’s a progressive chipping away of the rules.

Exhibit A: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Powerful point from Justice Sotomayor in today’s oral argument in NRSC v. FEC: “every time we tinker with Congress’s design [for campaign finance law] we make things worse. Indeed.

NRSC v. FEC, happening now: Important point from Justice Sotomayor that the Court's interventions in campaign finance cases have caused more harm than good. Exactly right! As the Brennan Center argued in our amicus brief. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

NRSC v. FEC, happening now: Justice Alito asks who is helped and who is hurt by party coordinated spending limits. That's an important policy question, but it's for Congress to consider, not the courts! It does not weigh on constitutional analysis under the First Amendment.

NRSC v. FEC, happening now: Challengers say donors don't "launder" candidate contributions through parties because it's easier to write a massive check to a super PAC. Corruption is still corruption, even if there are easier paths for corruption.

Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a challenge to campaign finance rules aimed at guarding against political corruption. @eepetry.bsky.social explains what’s at stake:

The Supreme Court's track record in campaign finance cases since Citizens United has been the explosion of dark money, super PAC corruption, and cratering confidence in American democracy. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

President Trump has already made well over $1B off the presidency in his 2d term. Many of the deals he is profiting from appear to violate the Constitution’s foreign and domestic emoluments clauses. But Congress needs to codify them. Our new paper explains how: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Corruption is hardly a new problem, but the abuses taking place now are unlike anything seen in generations. Here’s what Congress can do about it: bit.ly/43MmpHM

To prevent corruption, the Constitution prohibits the president and other officials from receiving benefits from outside influences. However, Congress must act to ensure these provisions are enforceable. Our latest report offers recommendations for reform. bit.ly/3XdgCaq

A strategy that helped antiabortion activists in their quest to overturn Roe v. Wade could also work for campaign finance reform: enacting state "trigger laws" that challenge the legitimacy of Citizens United. bit.ly/3Xsczat

There's an underutilized tool states can use to directly challenge Citizens United and build momentum for legal change. My colleague @jayswanson.bsky.social and I write about the potential for trigger laws in our latest piece. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

A number of Trump’s actions in his second term potentially violate the Emoluments Clauses — which bar the president and other federal officials from receiving benefits from foreign governments, as well as federal or state governments. Join us for a Reddit AMA: 

The DISCLOSE Act—which would require dark money groups to disclose contributions of $10k+—passed the House in 2010 and came within one vote of defeating a Republican filibuster. It's since passed the House multiple times in democracy packages. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/u...

My latest with @lisadanetz.bsky.social explaining what we can do to combat political corruption

During the Gilded Age, demonstrations and political organizing led to reforms that reduced corporate influence over elections. Today, intense pressure from the public is needed to fight corruption and restore accountability. bit.ly/4mcMsPL

THREAD: This morning, President Trump and members of his cabinet announced a set of sweeping, unprecedented, and unwarranted actions to impose federal control over local policing in Washington, D.C.

NEW: The most comprehensive analysis to date of online political spending in 2024 shows that groups spent at least $1.9 billion, with striking differences in how candidates, parties, and outside groups used their ad dollars. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Trump is launching a branded mobile phone and cell service, with profits going to the Trump Organization. This isn’t just a business move—it raises serious concerns about conflicts of interest. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

A tech mogul tied to the CCP was able to buy personal access to the president and even go to the White House. He can’t legally donate $5 to the president’s campaign he can spend $3.7M on the president’s meme coin, no questions asked. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/u...

The Emoluments Clauses are some of our nation's oldest anticorruption safeguards. In our latest, @danw329.bsky.social and I explain what emoluments are, why they've been in the news lately, and what Congress can do to improve enforcement. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

"The Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts back in the Guilded Age had a lot of influence [on] American politics," @danw329.bsky.social told @techcrunch.com. But "they didn't literally have offices in the White House."

A foreign government is gifting the president a “flying palace” luxury plane that his library gets to keep after he leaves office, reportedly so that he can keep using it. It should be obvious why this a big problem if true. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...

This is another unconstitutional notion. Only Congress can suspend habeas corpus and only during rebellion or invasion. As a Trump-appointed judge recently found, the U.S. isn't under invasion.

Politicians won’t have any incentive to curb reliance on secret spending unless campaign finance law changes.

Dark money in the 2024 elections reached a record high of $1.9 billion, about double the prior record in 2020. New analysis from @brennancenter and @annalecta.bsky.social www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

The president attending a private dinner followed by a tour of the White House for the largest investors in his crypto business is truly wild, even by today’s standards. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/t...

New piece. Canada & the US each passed major campaign finance reform packages in the 70s — but ours fell victim to the juristocracy. Today, Canada’s elections are made fairer by spending limits, contribution limits, and public funding, while our system betrays democratic values. Gotta change that…

Canada shows how democracies can regulate campaign finance for the common good.

With reports that the CFBP is laying off almost 90 percent of its workforce, now seems like a good time to re-up this analysis from @ianvan.bsky.social and @eepetry.bsky.social on who really benefits from shuttinf down one of our leading consumer watchdogs. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

NEW: The Brennan Center filed a comment with the Federal Election Commission today underscoring the importance of the FEC's independence from political interference. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

A crucial question about the new tariffs is who will get exemptions. Without transparency and safeguards to prevent conflicts of interests, decisions to give or withhold exemptions are ripe for political interference and self-dealing. To understand why, read www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

BREAKING: The Brennan Center and other voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's recent executive order on voting and elections that violates the Constitution and could block millions of Americans from registering to vote. Read more in our complaint: 1/

So proud of my @brennancenter.bsky.social colleagues and our partner organizations for this vital work protecting free and fair elections! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/cou...

🚨 Government records are disappearing. Troves of public records and data continue to vanish overnight — weakening transparency and our ability to hold those in power accountable. This isn’t about politics. It’s about access to facts. And the consequences affect everyone.🧵

NEW: Analysis of the Arizona Supreme Court case challenging the voter-approved Voters' Right to Know Act, which shines a light on anonymous big money in Arizona @statecourtreport.bsky.social statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Does evidence that small donors play some role in polarization tell us that small donors--or public financing programs that empower them--are bad? Nope, small donors are still good for democracy… 🧵

Tariffs in the first Trump administration resulted in a massive financial windfall for Republican-aligned companies. Without oversight, the new administration could use tariffs and exemptions as a tool to send benefits to campaign donors and other allies. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

You might think Trump's claim to economic populism would mean he'd like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His move to shut down the CFPB seems to align with what some of his biggest donors want. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Despite promising to help working class voters, the Trump admin is trying to close the watchdog that protects everyday consumers from abusive financial practices. This analysis with @ianvan.bsky.social looks at why. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The danger of private interests capturing our political system has never been more apparent. Here's what we can do about it:

For researchers interested in megadonors, conflicts of interest, and a transactional approach to government, my latest lays out where to look. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

When it comes to presidential politics, it’s a billionaire’s world. But the 2024 elections in New York showed another way is possible. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

When it comes to checks & balances, states play a bigger role than most people realize in determining whether and how federal policies get implemented. @aliciabannon.bsky.social looks at the importance of state courts and constitutions in shaping--and curbing abuses of--federal power.