Inside the Federal Election Commission: Keeping the Mission Alive with Just Two Commissioners
Choosing the Right PAC Filing Frequency for 2026: Key Considerations for Corporate and Trade Association PACs
No Quorum, No Problem? Navigating the FEC Freeze
A New Era at the Federal Election Commission?
Early Returns Podcast: FEC Commissioner Trey Trainor – Understanding and Respecting the Federal Election Commission
Video: Artificial Intelligence Use in Political Campaigns
Early Returns Law and Politics with Jan Baran: Sean Cooksey Shares FEC Menu for 2024
The “Wild West” of AI Use In Campaigns
Early Returns Law and Politics with Jan Baran: Bradley Smith – Deregulating Political Speech Through Campaign Finance
Early Returns with Jan Baran Podcast: There's a New Chair in Town – Dara Lindenbaum and the FEC Agenda Looking Towards 2024
Early Returns Podcast - Jan Baran, Jessica Furst Johnson and Jason Torchinsky - Political Lawyers Take a Deeper Dive into 2022 Elections and Look Ahead to 2024
Primary Elections and Campaign Finance: Ten Things to Know
H.R. 1 – The Impact on the FEC
With the midterm elections just months away, history suggests that the press will once again focus on federal candidates flying on the private planes of corporations and wealthy individuals. Although federal candidate travel...more
Campaigns for the 2026 midterms are in full swing, and organizations – including corporations, incorporated trade associations, and their executives and employees – often have questions about how to get involved, whether by...more
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC or Commission) Media Bureau (Bureau) is weighing in on the question of what political ads are entitled to lowest unit charge (LUC). In a March 30, 2025, Public Notice, the Bureau...more
U.S. Department of Labor Proposes Rule to Open 401(k) Plans to Crypto and Alternative Assets - On March 30, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule that would make it easier for 401(k) retirement plans...more
The Supreme Court of the United States’ upcoming decision in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (NRSC v. FEC) will shape the engagement strategies of candidates, parties, and donors during...more
On February 11, 2026, President Trump nominated Ashley Stow and Andrew Woodson to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Stow would serve a term expiring April 30, 2029, and Woodson would serve a term expiring April 30,...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES - Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance - Hawaii: A federal judge in Hawaii permanently blocked enforcement of a new state law regulating AI-generated and digitally altered...more
As we enter a new election year, we thought it would be helpful to point out some notable trends and developments in political engagement and their impact on political law risks. Below are some, but not all, of those trends....more
With an election year upon us, federal political action committees (PACs)—including both separate segregated funds and non‑connected PACs—that elect to file on a quarterly schedule must ensure they follow the Federal Election...more
In this Early Returns episode, host Jan Baran speaks with the entire current Federal Election Commission, Chair Shana Broussard and Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum, the only two commissioners remaining after four departures left...more
Corporate and trade association PACs must choose between quarterly and monthly FEC filing frequencies in 2026. Quarterly PAC filers may face extra reporting requirements if they make contributions in connection with primary...more
In Castro & Company, LLC, B-423689, (Nov. 13, 2025), Castro & Company protested the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) decision to award a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to Contracts Management Enterprises (CME) for...more
Join Dickinson Wright's Charlie Spies and Jonathan Koch as they discuss the changing landscape for political and policy advocacy with 501(c)4 organizations....more
Federal Election Commission (FEC) and Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) reporting deadlines remain unaffected by the partial government shutdown. Because Congress was unable to pass an appropriations bill or a continuing...more
Spending on federal and state lobbying continues to soar – a reality that has created new challenges for companies, trade associations, and other groups trying to advance their advocacy goals. To supplement their direct...more
As a result of the government shutdown, many federal agencies are operating at reduced staffing levels, making it difficult to contact agency staff regarding questions or technical difficulties when complying with required...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES - Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance Federal Election Commission (FEC) Vice Chair James E. "Trey" Trainor III will resign in October 2025, leaving the agency with only...more
Former FEC Chairmen Urge Supreme Court to Clarify Bribery Standard, Warn Against Criminalizing Routine Campaign Interactions...more
Supreme Court Preview: NRSC v. FEC - On June 30, 2025, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear what may be the most significant campaign finance case since Citizens United freed corporate entities to spend...more
On June 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States Granted Certiorari to Seven Cases: M & K Employee Solutions, LLC v. Trustees of the IAM National Pension Fund, No. 23-1209: This case interprets a provision of the...more
The FEC is down a quorum – but what does that mean for PACs, enforcement, and your compliance obligations? In this short video, Wiley's Mark Renaud breaks down the risks, the potential silver linings, and why staying...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance The Federal Election Commission (FEC) concluded in Advisory Opinion 2025-07 that the Libertarian Party organizations in Idaho,...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES - Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance The Federal Election Commission (FEC) will soon lose its ability to enforce and regulate campaign finance laws, NOTUS reported...more
Key Takeaways - - After Commissioner Allen Dickerson's departure, the FEC, a six-member agency, is left with three commissioners. - Because actions pertaining to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 require a four-vote...more
RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES - Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance The Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved two advisory opinions at its March 27, 2025, open meeting....more