The Voters’ Right to Know Initiative is a Poison Pill for the Political Process

Charles H. Bell, Jr.
A leading California election lawyer and Senior Partner of Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP, Sacramento

Last week, several well-known campaign reform activists, supported by funding from another Silicon Valley billionaire, filed a new campaign finance reform initiative they dubbed “The Voters’ Right to Know Act.” A closer look at the measure reveals that it contains a few standard political reform bromides and provisions recently considered by the Legislature, one of which […]

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The Citizens United Debate: Dangers of Amending the First Amendment

Charles H. Bell, Jr.
A leading California election lawyer and Senior Partner of Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP, Sacramento

Joel Fox raises a good point about the California Legislature’s request to Congress to propose the first amendment of the venerable First Amendment in our history:  Will the proposed amendment allow the federal government and State governments to restrict corporate contributions and expenditures related to ballot measures? The Legislative resolution referring to candidates and ballot measures is […]

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