District Court issues Memorandum Opinion and Order in Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC

WASHINGTON – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order in Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 19-2336), denying Plaintiffs’ motion to declare that the Federal Election Commission had failed to conform to a remand order.

In 2016, Plaintiffs filed an administrative complaint in the District Court alleging that Correct the Record (CTR) spent nearly $6 million in coordination with Hillary for America (HFA) during the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. In 2019, the Commission voted to dismiss the complaint, and Plaintiffs filed suit to challenge that dismissal. The District Court found Plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the dismissal but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed that decision and remanded the case to the District Court. That court then found the Commission’s dismissal of the matter contrary to law.

In September 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia remanded the matter to the Commission for further action. On October 10, 2024, the Commission voted to dismiss the matter, and Commissioners issued Statements of Reasons explaining their votes. The District Court concluded that the Commission timely conformed with the remand order and accordingly denied Plaintiffs’ motion.