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.
News Clip
Roll Call: Despite fears agency could be crippled, House fills ethics posts
Despite his initial concerns, Aaron Scherb, Common Cause’s senior director of legislative affairs, said that with Jeffries' quick appointments, OCE would “now be back up at full speed for the 118th Congress.”
News Clip
The Thom Hartmann Program (VIDEO): GOP Wants To Cut ‘We The People’ From the Constitution? Featuring Viki Harrison
Rewriting the constitution to favor the rich won’t just take away civil liberties but could literally dissolve the United States itself.
Everything from the second Amendment to civil rights could be a thing of the past if we don’t stop the Article 5 convention to end the US Constitution. Thom discusses the threat with Viki Harrison Common Cause Director of Constitutional Convention and Protecting Dissent Programs.
Everything from the second Amendment to civil rights could be a thing of the past if we don’t stop the Article 5 convention to end the US Constitution. Thom discusses the threat with Viki Harrison Common Cause Director of Constitutional Convention and Protecting Dissent Programs.
News Clip
Associated Press: North Carolina Supreme Court to rehear voter ID, redistricting
The Republican majority on the court also threw out a petition filed earlier this week by redistricting lawsuit plaintiff Common Cause urging that the GOP requests be denied and the ruling remain intact. The advocacy group, which argued the rehearing request was improper, is “disappointed the Court is giving legislators another bite at the apple,” said Hilary Klein, an attorney who filed the Common Cause motion.
Press Release
Office of Congressional Ethics Saved Again But Must be Made Permanent
Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s thinly-veiled attempt to scuttle the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) has been turned back by quick action from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats. The office faced newly-enacted arbitrary terms limits that disqualified several sitting Democratic board members and outrageously tight deadlines to replace them and hire staff. Thanks to Minority Leader Jeffries, and his swift appointments of new board members overcoming the GOP effort to gut the OCE, the office is on its way back to holding our...
News Clip
Associated Press: Voting experts to guide new Wisconsin poll watcher rules
“Election workers need to know they are supported by a clear set of rules and will not have to endure the threat of intimidation or attack by observers who do not follow those rules,” Jay Heck, executive director of watchdog group Common Cause Wisconsin, said in a statement sent to the commission.
Commissioners asked Common Cause Wisconsin to appoint a member to the new committee, as well as voting advocacy groups including Souls to the Polls, Forward Latino and the Wisconsin Election Integrity Network. As the four parties...
Commissioners asked Common Cause Wisconsin to appoint a member to the new committee, as well as voting advocacy groups including Souls to the Polls, Forward Latino and the Wisconsin Election Integrity Network. As the four parties...
News Clip
Associated Press: Advocates warn House rule change could undermine voters
As lawmakers prepare to debate bills on abortion access, LGBTQ rights and immigration, Miles Beasley, a Historically Black Colleges and Universities fellow at Common Cause North Carolina, said he worries the rule could be abused to further disadvantage vulnerable communities.
“These surprise votes rob us of our right to speak to our representatives before important votes happen, cutting us out of the lawmaking process,” said Beasley, a student at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. He urged House Republicans not to...
“These surprise votes rob us of our right to speak to our representatives before important votes happen, cutting us out of the lawmaking process,” said Beasley, a student at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. He urged House Republicans not to...
News Clip
Roll Call: McCarthy names GOP members to House Ethics Committee
“The appointment of Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) to the House Ethics Committee is especially revealing,” said Aaron Scherb, a senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, in an email to CQ Roll Call. “When the committee is investigating Rep. George Santos’ numerous lies, fabrications, and significant ethical lapses, a reasonable observer could call into question the ability of Rep. Garbarino to be an objective investigator.”
Press Release
Common Cause Calls on Senate to Condemn Smear Campaign Against Gigi Sohn and Rapidly Confirm Her to FCC
In recent weeks, industry and big money opposition have continued to run a smear campaign to stall Gigi Sohn’s confirmation to serve as FCC commissioner. These attacks have now turned to a more bigoted and hateful nature in an effort to keep the FCC deadlocked. A deadlocked FCC is unable to advance key priorities that address the communications needs of all households. Common Cause calls on the Senate to condemn these attacks and rapidly confirm her to the FCC.
News Clip
TV Tech: Common Cause Calls on Senate to Confirm Gigi Sohn to FCC
Common Cause has issued a strongly worded plea for the U.S. Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn as a new commissioner to the FCC, saying that “in recent weeks, industry and big money opposition have continued to run a smear campaign to stall Gigi Sohn’s confirmation to serve as FCC commissioner. These attacks have now turned to a more bigoted and hateful nature in an effort to keep the FCC deadlocked. A deadlocked FCC is unable to advance key priorities that address the communications needs of all households. Common Cause calls on the Senate to...
News Clip
Associated Press: Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’
Hilary Klein, an attorney for Common Cause, wrote that the rehearing petition is “frivolous.” She referred specifically to House Speaker Tim Moore’s public statement that another look at the cases was needed because the “people of North Carolina sent a message election day” to reject the ruling of the “outgoing (judicial) majority.”
The petition “is therefore motivated by improper purpose and grossly lacking in the requirements of propriety,” Klein wrote.
The petition “is therefore motivated by improper purpose and grossly lacking in the requirements of propriety,” Klein wrote.
News Clip
Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com: Corporate jets, bribes and dark money: Householder trial spotlights weaknesses in Ohio ethics laws
Catherine Turcer, executive director of the good-government group Common Cause Ohio, said it’s “astonishing” that lawmakers have yet to take up any reforms in response to the Householder scandal.
“It’s clear to me that the people in power like the structure that we have right now, and that they’re benefitting from the lack of transparency,” Turcer said. ...
Turcer said there’s a public interest in limiting lawmakers’ and other politicians’ ability to accept trips on private jets.
“It’s clear to me that the people in power like the structure that we have right now, and that they’re benefitting from the lack of transparency,” Turcer said. ...
Turcer said there’s a public interest in limiting lawmakers’ and other politicians’ ability to accept trips on private jets.
News Clip
Salon: “Groyper” guru Nick Fuentes returns to Twitter (briefly): Hateful content keeps flowing
Yosef Getachew, a media and democracy program director at Common Cause, said allowing a blatantly bigoted and disruptive user like Fuentes back on Twitter sends a clear signal that the platform is failing to enforce its own policies, he added.
"You're creating an environment where users may feel threatened, harassed or attacked, or you could be inciting others to engage in offline violence," Getachew said. "That's essentially how the [Jan. 6] insurrection started, given that millions of users were exposed to harmful content and...
"You're creating an environment where users may feel threatened, harassed or attacked, or you could be inciting others to engage in offline violence," Getachew said. "That's essentially how the [Jan. 6] insurrection started, given that millions of users were exposed to harmful content and...
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