Citizens United case continues its march to thwart campaign finance restrictions

Campaign finance spending will exceed $6 billion this year, and one man deserves a fair amount of the credit — election lawyer James Bopp, architect of the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court case and ideological crusader against state-based campaign finance laws that limit corporate expenditure, as The Texas Independent recently reported.

With Larimer ruling, Gessler opens door to abuse

Editorial boards at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and at the Denver Post have admonished Secretary of State Scott Gessler for setting bad precedent when he decided that the scandal-plagued Larimer County Republican Party was merely negligent and not willful in allowing Chairman Larry Carillo to bilk party funds and ignore obligations to file campaign finance reports on $90,000 worth of contributions during the 2010 election season.

Secretary of State Gessler proposes rule requiring less frequent disclosure

At a hearing today, The Colorado Secretary of State’s office proposed a rule change that would result in the need for less frequent reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures.

Sec of State Gessler draws fire from watchdogs in latest chapter of Clear the Bench case

In the face of criticism that he is improperly meddling in a campaign finance case on behalf of a former private-practice client, Secretary of State Scott Gessler says he doesn’t believe Coloradans should have to hire lawyers to steer clear of penalties when they simply want to participate in the political process.

With Clear the Bench brief, Sec of State Gessler draws more ethics scrutiny

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler filed a brief with the attorney general last week supporting an appeal brought by election-politics group Clear the Bench in a campaign finance case. Gessler defended the group as a private attorney in the original case and so his support now as secretary of state is sure to raise more questions about his ability to serve the public without treading across ethical boundaries.

501(c)4 disclosure bill still possible in Senate

A bill originally intended to force 501(c)4 groups to disclose the donors of money given to 527 groups may be introduced soon in the Senate by Gail Schwartz.

Udall says we should consider radical changes to campaign finance laws

In a wide-ranging interview, Senator Mark Udall discusses America’s wars, campaign finance reform, earmarks, and who he plans to sit with at the State of the Union speech.

Carroll to target groups like Western Tradition with disclosure bill

In the wake of a flood of untraceable 501(c)4 funds pouring into 527 political groups such as the Western Tradition Partnership in this month’s general election, state Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, said she is working to make Colorado the first state in the nation to compel the nonprofit “social welfare” groups to disclose political donations to 527s.

Hickenlooper increases fundraising lead

Denver Mayor and Democratic nominee for governor John Hickenlooper continues to be the cash king, pulling in more money in the last two weeks than Republican nominee Dan Maes has raised during the entire cycle.

Hickenlooper in the first two…

Secretary of State smacks Clear the Bench

As the head of Clear the Bench Colorado, firebrand Matt Arnold has toured conservative activist events across the state this past year asking Coloradans to vote against retaining members of the state’s supreme court. He argued and is arguing in the last weeks before the November elections that members of the bench are liberal activists who disdain the law. In recent days, an administrative courts judge and the elections director for the state informed Arnold that he failed to follow the laws that govern the form of political activity in which he has been engaging.