Blow to Kochs & Chamber: FEC Disclosure Loophole Closes On Secret Donors As Court Won't Stay Ruling

[annabanana]

Source: OpEdNews

WASHINGTON -- A court ruling requiring non-disclosing political groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity -- to disclose their donors is one step closer to going into effect after a district court refused to stay its ruling in the face of an appeal.

On March 30, a district court ruled in Van Hollen v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) that a loophole in FEC rules that allowed certain independent group campaign efforts to keep private the names of donors was invalid and needed to be rewritten or reset to the original language.

On Friday, the court not only refused to stay the ruling, as requested by two intervening groups that are appealing the case, the Center for Individual Freedom and the Hispanic Leadership Fund, but the court also found that its ruling invalidated the FEC loophole, which required it to be immediately closed, resetting to the original language in the McCain-Feingold campaign reform law, known officially as the Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA).

District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote, "Prior to the promulgation of the regulation that was struck down, there was a valid regulation in effect implementing the BCRA's disclosure requirement. ... In light of the Court's ruling, that regulation now governs the disclosures required under the BCRA."

Read more: http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Blow-to-Kochs--FEC-Disclo-in-General_News-120428-441.html

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Progress being made towards transparency.

[goclark]

1. Koch should be in jail by now

for all the dirt he does on a daily basis.

They need to put his family in jail and if they cry, they can wipe the fake tears with their no good napkins.

Has he helped Mi$$ pay those taxes yet?

[hue]

19. that's one thing the Kochs won't do--pay taxes;not even their own.

That's how they (and their ilk) roll!

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, annabanana.

[shawn703]

3. Blow to Kochs...

Beavis and Butthead would be proud.

[Trajan]

4. Nothing a pliant right wing Supreme Court cannot rectify ...

The political aspects of the legal system are an incestuous mess ...

[truedelphi]

5. I know it is pretty depressing.

We have a Supreme Court ruled by entities such as the Koch Bros.

And since there is a history of both parties having candidates who benefited from these RW ass wipes, it's hard to believe that any ruling from SCOTUS on the matter would help the average person. Or that would help our "democracy."

[Festivito]

6. A RW coworker insists Clarence Thomas's wife receiving lobbying money does not matter.

You see, Clarence would have voted the conservative line anyway.

Sheeesh.

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. One could take that to mean

that he is so in the tank that the money doesn't even matter any more. His mind is made up before he even hears the case.

[Festivito]

16. Yes, CT is seen as that much in the tank. Conserves his thinking that way.

I was astonished at the idiocy of thinking it was okay, as though only conservatives would lobby with money, and that other countries would not lobby him with hidden money through his wife.

Insane seems more apropos than idiot, but really it's just a bad case of self-delusion. A very very very bad case.

[Ruby the Liberal]

18. Anthony Weiner was hot on the trail for petitioning to have him recuse

himself from (IIRC) the Affordable Care Act. Pity no one picked up that mantel and ran with it.

[SWTORFanatic]

20. If it isn't, he just asks Scalia

[Drunken Irishman]

9. And I hope you told him it doesn't matter what he would have done...

It cheapens the integrity of the court to have him rule on it. Any hint of a conflict of interest undermines the whole premise of which the court was founded.

What an idiot.

[Festivito]

17. He quickly ran off feigning to inspect part of our project.

It's so bad, I could not think of a way to bring it back up to him.

I mean, that's badly delusional.

[goclark]

22. Isn't that against some law?

And isn't it against some law for Clarence to say, " Anything my wife believes I believe," That may not be he correct quote but he said something like that ~

[Festivito]

24. Conflict of interest. CT should recuse himself, but, he doesn't.

Then, it's up to us to impeach him, but, we don't.

[penndragon69]

7. Watch all the KOCHroaches

as they run for hiding from the public spotlight.

[groundloop]

10. I wonder how long before Kochs and Chamber claim this infringes ...

on their 1st amendment rights. I have no doubt whatsoever that they will, but hell, this ruling just makes them take ownership of their lies.

[Tunkamerica]

11. why not post the huffington post link instead of going through oped news' portal?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/fec-disclosure-ruling_n_1460145.html

[annabanana]

12. (just the first place I saw it..). . .n/t

[patrice]

13. Are the Kochs the sires of SEDITIOUS FOREIGN corporate "persons"? Time WILL tell.

[patrice]

14. BTW, do you think Stalin's OIL family-fortune-tree has completely disappeared?

[freshwest]

15. Kicking to kick them out of government.

[SWTORFanatic]

21. Anonymous donors was the most wrong part of Citizens United. You want to

speak out?

Then show yourself, don't hide behind "Americans for (our) Prosperity"

[cstanleytech]

23. There is no legit reason to keep the names of donors to groups involved in

politics like these groups have been private. In fact by not making them open to the public it leaves a situation ripe for corruption or atleast thats my opinion.