Institute For Free Speech

FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Exposing Donations to Political Causes Can Chill Free Speech
February 28, 2022   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , , , ,

Americans should take two lessons from these unfortunate events. First: The right to support causes privately and keep our associations to ourselves is important ...

Ted Cruz vs. Frankenstein’s Monster
January 18, 2022   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

When the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of major portions of the Federal Election Campaign Act in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), it launched what is now ...

12 Years Later, the FEC Finally Agrees to Acknowledge Super PACs

 FEC Form 1 2022
January 13, 2022   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

Super PACs came into existence in 2010 – that’s twelve years ago. They have spent roughly $5 billion dollars since that time, leaving their ...

FEC Should Update Form 1 to Acknowledge Super PACs and Hybrid Committees
January 13, 2022   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

This morning the Federal Election Commission will consider Chairman Allen Dickerson’s “Motion to Instruct the Staff to Prepare an Amended Form 1 Acknowledging Independent ...

Federal Election Commission v. Cruz
December 21, 2021   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

Senator Ted Cruz’s victory over the Federal Election Commission in a loan-repayment case clarified important First Amendment principles. The Institute for Free Speech asked ...

This “Free Speech Week,” Senate Dems Vote for Political Speech Restrictions
October 21, 2021   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  , , , , ,

Some federal lawmakers have stopped at nothing this year to advance their bundle of political speech restrictions, now as S. 2747, the so-called “Freedom ...

Democrats Propose a Federal Speech Czar
October 20, 2021   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Deep inside the Democrats’ latest “compromise” proposal on elections and campaign finance is a new cup of poison for free speech and fair campaigns. Of course, the sponsors ...

The Freedom to Vote Act is remarkably anti-voter
October 19, 2021   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  , , ,

Yet, the so-called Freedom to Vote Act, which is expected to receive a vote in the Senate this week, would restrict our right to ...

LTE: Revised H.R.1 Has a Plan for a Government Speech Czar
October 4, 2021   •  By David Keating   •  ,

The new Democratic voting- and speech-regulation bill dropped the idea of switching “the Federal Election Commission to an odd number of seats.” Unfortunately, it ...

Comments to the FEC on Notice of Availability of Rulemaking Petition Regarding Subvendor Reporting
October 4, 2021   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Before embarking on a rulemaking placing new, burdensome regulations on businesses, political committees, and entities making independent expenditures and electioneering communications, the Commission must ...

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