Election Law Society

By Sarah Wiley

On Thursday February 27, William and Mary Law School hosted its Eighth Annual Election Law Symposium, featuring three preeminent attorneys in the field who gave a talk on the possible effects of McCutcheon v. FEC on campaign finance. Before the symposium itself, however, one of the panelists, Kenneth Gross (partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate & Flom LLP & Affiliates) sat down for an interview with ELS Symposium Co-Chair 1L Allison Davis.

In the interview, Mr. Gross explained that modern campaign finance law emerged in the wake of the Watergate scandals in the early 1970s. The first major case, Buckley v. Valeo, established the principle that political contributions are speech, so the government needs a pretty compelling reason to regulate them. The case drew a distinction between independent expenditures, which cannot be regulated, and political contributions which can, to an extent. [Read more…] about Election Law Symposium speaker gives interview on possible future of campaign finance

Mr. Kenneth A. Gross is a former associate general counsel for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and is now a partner at Skadden where he leads the political law practice, and advises corporations on political given. He will be one of three speakers at William & Mary on Thursday, February 27 on the impact of McCutchen on political giving.

[Read more…] about

https://stateofelections.pages.wm.edu/2014/02/26/5612/

Mr. Lawrence “Larry” Noble is a highly regarded attorney and authority in the field of election law. In particular, his work in campaign ethics and finance is frequently referenced. He will speak at William & Mary this Thursday, Feb. 27th, on the state of political giving post-McCutcheon. [Read more…] about 2014 Election Law Symposium Spotlight: Lawrence Noble

From the press release:

The William & Mary Election Law Program will convene leading election law practitioners, scholars, and politicians in Washington, D.C., on February 21 for a program titled “Rethinking D.C. Representation in Congress.”

“This symposium draws together a group of highly prestigious thought leaders to re-ignite the question of Congressional representation for residents of the District of Columbia” said Rebecca Green, Co-Director of the Election Law Program at William & Mary. [Read more…] about Ongoing: Election Law Program presents Rethinking DC Representation in Congress

By Jane Miller

 

The United States Census Bureau reports that Americans aged 18-24 have the lowest voter registration rate of any age group.  Only 53.6% of U.S. citizens in that age group were registered to vote as of November 2012.  By contrast, more than 79% of citizens aged 65 and older were registered.  These disparate numbers raise questions about the health of our nation’s civic culture and the fairness of our elections, a concern so real it made it into an episode of The West Wing. [Read more…] about “You Can’t Blame the Youth (For No Longer Pre-Registering to Vote in North Carolina)”