Campaign Legal Center v. FEC alleges failure to act on complaint (20-0588)

On February 27, 2020, the Campaign Legal Center (plaintiff) filed suit against the FEC in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (the court). The plaintiff seeks injunctive and declaratory relief under the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act).

Background

According to the court complaint, on September 12, 2019, plaintiff filed an administrative complaint with the FEC, alleging that in the weeks leading up to the 2018 general election, unknown persons had violated the Act through a series of Facebook ads that constituted independent expenditures but were neither disclosed to the FEC nor in possession of the required disclaimers. The suit alleges that the group to which the ads were attributed, known as "America Progress Now," does not appear to exist apart from the above Facebook activity.

The Commission has been without the quorum necessary to act on an administrative complaint since August 31, 2019. The plaintiff requests that the court declare that the FEC has acted contrary to law by failing to act on the administrative complaint, and that the court order the FEC to conform with that declaration within 30 days.

Resources

Campaign Legal Center v. FEC (20-0588) litigation page

Editor's note: On July 16, 2020, the plaintiff filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal. Accordingly, the court dismissed the case without prejudice.