CLC v. FEC challenges dismissal of administrative complaint (22-3319)

On October 28, 2022, Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 (plaintiffs) filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (the court) to challenge the FEC's dismissal of two administrative complaints filed in 2015.

Background

Plaintiffs filed an administrative complaint against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on March 31, 2015, alleging there was reason to believe Bush had become a candidate under the Act but had failed to register or file reports, and that he had financed his campaign and testing the waters activities with funds outside the limitations and prohibitions of the Act. On May 27, 2015, plaintiffs filed a second administrative complaint alleging that Bush had violated 52 U.S.C. §30125(e) by establishing, financing, maintaining, and controlling the Right to Rise Super PAC, which raised and spent funds outside the limitations and prohibitions of the Act. On August 29, 2022, the Commission voted 4-1 to close the case file and dismiss the plaintiffs' complaints.

Plaintiffs claim that in dismissing their complaints after over seven years' inaction and by failing concurrently to issue a statement of reasons, the Commission has acted contrary to law and failed to satisfy precedent. Plaintiffs ask that the court declare the Commission's dismissal of their complaints contrary to law and order the Commission to conform with the declaration.

Resources

• CLC v. FEC (22-3319) litigation page