Tag Archives: campaign finance

Crazy Eyes Leads In 2012 Fundraising

Rep. Michele “Crazy Eyes” Bachmann has so far this year raised more money for her 2012 presidential campaign than any other prospective candidate. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., raised a combined total of $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2011, outgaining presumed presidential contender Mitt Romney who raised $1.9 million over the same period. Bachmann’s political action committee, MichelePAC, raised …

Read More »

NEW YORK: Anti-Gay Sen. Carl Kruger To Surrender On Corruption Charges

Tomorrow morning anti-gay New York state Sen. Carl Kruger will surrender to federal authorities on charges that he accepted campaign donations in return for favors doled out to powerful businessmen. Kruger was one of the eight traitorous Senate Democrats who voted against same-sex marriage in 2009. Mr. Kruger headed the powerful Senate Finance Committee until Democrats lost control of the …

Read More »

NOM Appeals Maine Disclosure Ruling

As we expected, NOM is refusing to comply with last week’s ruling by a federal judge that it must disclose the names of the people who funded its successful campaign to repeal same-sex marriage in Maine. Today they kicked their appeal upstairs to the First Circuit Court, their last stop before SCOTUS. Lawyers for the National Organization for Marriage filed …

Read More »

Bad News For NOM: Supreme Court Lets Stand WA Campaign Disclosure Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a Washington state anti-assisted suicide group that has refused to disclose the names of its donors. Last week NOM lost a similar battle to cloak its donors in Maine and some have expected them to take their appeal to SCOTUS. The court on Tuesday let stand without comment a …

Read More »

MAINE: Federal Judge Rejects NOM’s Attempt To Hide Names Of Donors

A federal judge ruled yesterday that Maine’s campaign finance disclosure law is constitutional, rejecting NOM’s long-running battle to hide the names of its donors. The challenge was brought by the National Organization for Marriage, which spent $1.9 million dollars in a successful campaign to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law in 2009. The Ethics Commission had determined that NOM was required …

Read More »

NOM Continues To Defy Maine’s Request For Campaign Donor Information

Maine is back in court again in their now years-long battle to get NOM to comply with state campaign finance law and release the names of their donors. The National Organization for Marriage says that identifying donors would violate their First Amendment rights and deter future donors. Lawyers for each side presented arguments Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court to …

Read More »

Explaining Citizens United

(Tipped by JMG reader Miranda)

Read More »

SENTENCED: Former GOP Majority Leader Tom DeLay Gets Three Years In Prison

Former GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been sentenced to three years in prison for funneling corporate money to Republican candidates. The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DeLay was once one of the most powerful men in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 …

Read More »

Everybody’s Out To Get The Witch!

Read More »

Feds Open Criminal Campaign Finance Investigation Into Christine O’Donnell

Read More »

Former NY State Sen. Hiram “Slasher” Monserrate Indicted For Corruption

Former New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate after being convicted of slashing his girlfriend’s face with a broken glass, has been indicted on felony charges of campaign finance fraud. Monserrate, 43, was charged with funneling taxpayer money to a non-profit group, Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, or LIBRE, that provided support services …

Read More »

RHODE ISLAND: NOM Sues To Evade Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws

NOM has filed a lawsuit against Rhode Island’s Board of Elections, saying it should not have to disclose who is backing their ads in the state’s 2010 election. The suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Providence, does not specify the races the organization wants to be involved in, but sample ads that are included as exhibits to …

Read More »

NEW YORK: NOM Files Suit In Attempt To Evade State Campaign Finance Laws

As they have done in other states, the National Organization for Marriage has filed a lawsuit against the New York Elections Board, saying they shouldn’t have to comply with state campaign finance disclosure laws. Julie Bolcer reports at the Advocate: The complaint against the state board of elections was filed on September 16, two days after the primary election, in …

Read More »

NOM Loses Again In Maine

NOM has lost yet another court battle to cloak the names of their donors in Maine. Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said Thursday his group is disappointed in the ruling, but feels its arguments will hold sway with an appeals court. NOM will pursue an expedited appeal to the U.S. First Circuit Court in Boston, he …

Read More »

The REAL Reason For NOM’s Hate Tour?

According to the Human Rights Campaign’s VP Fred Sainz, the real reason for NOM’s national Hate Tour is to draw out harassing counter-protesters so that those incidents can be using in court to thwart donor disclosure laws. Because SEE, we really DO get attacked by violent homofascists! Via press release from the HRC: “The bus tour is a total sham, …

Read More »

NOM Loses Again In Maine

Today Maine’s campaign finance ethics commission rejected NOM’s request to suspend an investigation into their activities. The group, which was the biggest contributor to the successful Yes on 1 campaign to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law, argued in a letter to the commission that it did not have the legal power to conduct an investigation. But on a 4-0 …

Read More »

BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules Names On Referendum 71 Must Be Made Public

The U.S. Supreme Court has just ruled that anti-gay activists in Washington state MUST make public the names on Referendum 71. Protect Marriage wanted to keep the names secret, claiming they feared retribution from “violent homofascists.” The ruling (PDF) was 8-1, with Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting. Justices ruled in a case called Doe V. Reed. They heard oral arguments in …

Read More »

NOM Loses Federal Appeal, Ordered To Turn Finances Over To Maine

A federal appeals court in Boston has denied NOM’s latest attempt to continue shielding their list of donors from Maine as is required by state election finance law. But it’s not over yet. The group, known by its initials “NOM” contributed nearly $2 million to last year’s successful campaign to overturn Maine’s gay marriage law. Opponents say NOM has failed …

Read More »

Federal Appeals Court Grants NOM Stay Of Financial Disclosure Demand

A federal appeals court has granted NOM a stay of last week’s ruling by a Maine judge that they must abide by state financial disclosure laws. In their stay request, NOM again cited fears that violent homofascists will rain down retribution upon their donors. Via NOM’s blog: The Maine Ethics Commission had asked for the disclosure of donors to NOM …

Read More »

MAINE: Judge Orders NOM To Comply With Financial Disclosure Laws

It’s too late to matter, but a judge in Maine has at last ruled that NOM must reveal where they got the money to fund their successful campaign to overturn same-sex marriage. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Rich III said in a document dated Sunday that the National Organization for Marriage, which contributed $1.9 million to the campaign to repeal Maine’s …

Read More »