Campaign Legal Center v. FEC challenges handling of complaint (19-2336)

On August 2, 2019, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Catherine Hinckley Kelley (together, plaintiffs) filed suit against the Commission in the District Court for the District of Columbia. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief against the Commission for the dismissal of their administrative complaint against Correct the Record (CTR) and Hillary for America.

The administrative complaint, filed on October 6, 2016, had alleged that CTR made, and Hillary for America accepted, unreported excessive and prohibited contributions in the form of coordinated expenditures.

On June 4, 2019, the Commission was equally divided on whether to find reason to believe that CTR and Hillary for America violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and closed the file.

Plaintiffs claim that the Commission's failure to find reason to believe was arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law, and seek a judicial declaration to that effect as well as an order requiring the FEC to conform to that declaration within 30 days.

Resources

• Campaign Legal Center v. FEC (19-2336) litigation page