Press Release
Government Watchdog Supports New Bill to Ban Members of Congress from Trading Stock
Majority of Americans support a stock trading ban
Press
Media Contacts
Katie Scally
Communications Director
kscally@commoncause.org
202-736-5713
Ariana Marmolejo
Communications Strategist
amarmolejo@commoncause.org
Kenny Colston
Regional Communications Strategist (Midwest)
kcolston@commoncause.org
Maya Majikas
Communications Strategist
mmajikas@commoncause.org
Common Cause’s network of national and state democracy reform experts are frequent media commentators. To talk with one of our experts, please reach out to any member of the press team above.
Press Release
Common Cause Members Weigh in on NTIA Broadband Rollout
Today, Common Cause submitted comments in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Request for Comments on the implementation of broadband programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The comments draw heavily on input from 2,500 Common Cause members contending with the digital divide who weighed in during a canvas of the organization’s 1.5 million members.
News Clip
Tribune News Service/Inside Sources/St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Op-Ed): The Supreme Court should not be its own referee
The Supreme Court cannot be its own referee. Justices have tried and failed repeatedly at that. We should expect all public officials to abide by high ethical standards when conducting the people’s business -- with no exceptions.
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Wall Street Journal: How Ron DeSantis Could Unlock $86 Million for a Presidential Run
“The law is very clear,” said Stephen Spaulding, vice president of policy for Common Cause, which advocates for more transparency in government. Mr. Spaulding served as a legal adviser to a Democratic FEC commissioner in 2016. “You are not supposed to transfer state funds to support a federal fund.”
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Reuters: In win for Republicans, North Carolina court allows partisan gerrymandering
"I think it's the worst decision the North Carolina Supreme Court perhaps has ever made," Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, told reporters.
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Bloomberg/Miami Herald: Supreme Court election case in doubt with NC’s high court ruling
However, Neal Katyal, who argued against the map on behalf of Common Cause in December, said he believes the high court still has jurisdiction. “It’s a pretty dangerous thing to allow state supreme courts to essentially test drive their opinion and go through oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court and then pull it back,” Katyal, a partner at Hogan Lovells, said in an interview for Bloomberg’s “Cases and Controversies” podcast.
Press Release
North Carolina Supreme Court Issues Ruling Allowing Partisan Gerrymandering, Reversing Previous Decision
The North Carolina Supreme Court signaled today it will not provide a check on legislative efforts to discriminate against resident voters, vacating a prior decisions that protected voters against partisan gerrymandering in voting maps.
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CNN: GOP-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court reverses rulings that struck down partisan gerrymanders by Republican lawmakers
One of the voting rights groups that brought the original challenge to the GOP-drawn map said Friday’s ruling was “one of the gravest assaults on democracy ever in North Carolina.”
“Now, extreme partisan gerrymandering has been legalized and it will be weaponized against voters. That’s wrong,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. “Undoubtedly, the justices who wrote this shameful decision know it’s wrong, as do the self-serving legislators who embrace gerrymandering.”
“Now, extreme partisan gerrymandering has been legalized and it will be weaponized against voters. That’s wrong,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. “Undoubtedly, the justices who wrote this shameful decision know it’s wrong, as do the self-serving legislators who embrace gerrymandering.”
News Clip
Washingtonian Magazine: Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2023
Aaron Scherb
Common Cause
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs
Scherb was critical of the House GOP’s changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics, saying the revisions on hiring would handcuff its ability to function. He’s a leading voice in the media on areas of corruption and potential ethical troubles on Capitol Hill.
Hometown: South Bend, Indiana. Education: Haverford College; Johns Hopkins. First job: “Delivering newspapers for the South Bend Tribune.”
Common Cause
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs
Scherb was critical of the House GOP’s changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics, saying the revisions on hiring would handcuff its ability to function. He’s a leading voice in the media on areas of corruption and potential ethical troubles on Capitol Hill.
Hometown: South Bend, Indiana. Education: Haverford College; Johns Hopkins. First job: “Delivering newspapers for the South Bend Tribune.”
News Clip
Texas Tribune: Illegal voting in Texas likely to be a felony again after state House vote
“Instead of improving election administration with funding for training, resources, and staff — lawmakers are wanting to criminalize voting and inject fear into our elections,” said Katya Ehresman, Common Cause Texas’ voting rights program manager, prior to the vote.
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Ballotpedia: Ohio considering measure to raise ballot measure approval requirement to 60% ×
Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, an organization that has opposed raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments, said, “citizen-led ballot measures aren’t overused. We haven’t had one on the ballot since 2018. It’s unnecessary to make the process more complicated and it’s disrespectful of voters.”
News Clip
Who What Why: Does the FEC Have a Plan to Deal With Crypto?
“It’s just such an unregulated sphere that I think it poses challenges to all three pillars of our campaign finance law,” said Stephen Spaulding, a campaign finance expert at Common Cause.
“We know that its value is what it is on the day it’s received by the campaign, but then its value can fluctuate wildly and be manipulated in a way that redounds to the benefit of the campaign,” Spaulding said.
“We have contribution limits in place for a reason, to guard against corruption and the appearance of...
“We know that its value is what it is on the day it’s received by the campaign, but then its value can fluctuate wildly and be manipulated in a way that redounds to the benefit of the campaign,” Spaulding said.
“We have contribution limits in place for a reason, to guard against corruption and the appearance of...
News Clip
The Oregonian: Oregon Democrats weigh competing proposals to cap political donations
“It’s great to see Senator Golden offering an alternative that could create meaningful limits and doesn’t create a way to bypass that,” said Kate Titus, executive director of Common Cause Oregon, which partners with Honest Elections.
However, she noted that past negotiations with Democrats have fallen short. Two measures fell by the wayside in 2021: House Bill 3343, sponsored by now-U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, and House Bill 2680, a weaker proposal spearheaded by Rayfield.
However, she noted that past negotiations with Democrats have fallen short. Two measures fell by the wayside in 2021: House Bill 3343, sponsored by now-U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, and House Bill 2680, a weaker proposal spearheaded by Rayfield.
