Law, Politics and the Internet: What is the current state of regulation? Is more regulation on the horizon?

Description
The Federal Election Commission, Congress and various state lobbying, campaign finance and ethics authorities have looked at the impact of bloggers and “new media” on politics, legislative affairs, and more general public policy debates. From campaign activity to grassroots lobbying to political fundraising, the political internet world is subject to a variety of regulations that vary jurisdiction by jurisdiction. What rules do “new media” professionals, and their clients, need to be aware of? Where are the various regulatory bodies in their review and regulation of the Internet?

Speakers

 * Jason Torchinsky - Jason Torchinsky is a Partner at Holtzman Vogel PLLC. He specializes in campaign finance, election law, lobbying disclosure and issue advocacy groups. In 2007, Campaigns and Elections Magazine named Jason a “Rising Star of Politics.” Jason frequently lectures on campaign finance and ethics related subjects and provides commentary to the media on election related matters. Prior to joining HoltzmanVogel PLLC, Jason was Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice. During the 2004 election cycle, Jason served as Deputy General Counsel to Bush-Cheney '04 and Deputy General Counsel to the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee. Jason has also served in other positions in the government. He served as a Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in the Eastern District of Wisconsin as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, and at the White House Counsel's Office as an Executive Assistant. Jason's prior political experience also includes serving in the Republican National Committee Counsel's Office, the Dole-Kemp campaign, the 1996 Republican National Convention, and Congressman Herb Bateman's re-election campaign. Additionally, Jason has served as counsel for federal jury trials, argued a number of motions and hearings before federal tribunals, and authored a number of briefs for United States Courts of Appeals, including the 3rd Circuit, 7th Circuit, 9th Circuit, and 11th Circuit. He holds a B.A. in Government and Public Policy from the College of William and Mary and a J.D. from the College of William and Mary School of Law. He is a member of the Virginia Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the Republican National Lawyers Association and the Federalist Society.


 * Jonathan Zucker - Jonathan Zucker is one of the most innovative and experienced minds operating at the nexus of technology, fundraising, and the law. Jonathan spent all of 2005 through 2008 with ActBlue, the nation's largest source of funds for Democrats. As Senior Strategist, COO and CEO, he was involved in all aspects of ActBlue's transformation from a novel experiment in participatory democracy (and $1 million raised) to a key element of Democratic infrastructure (over $87 million raised). Jonathan was the chief architect of ActBlue's rapid expansion from serving only Federal candidates (2004) to a truly national platform allowing fundraising for state candidates and committees in 48 states in 2008.  He authored both of ActBlue's groundbreaking Advisory Opinions with the Federal Election Commission and co-authored a third on behalf of FreeCause, Inc.  He is currently in the start-up phase of a new project in the area of technology and fundraising. Prior to joining ActBlue, Jonathan served as National Director of Operations for Finance at the Democratic National Committee where he was responsible for legal and compliance issues, vetting, and data-management for the DNC's then record-breaking $100 million major-donor program in the 2004 election cycle. From 1994 to 2003, Jonathan worked with a wide variety of progressive and Democratic organizations as a field organizer, fundraiser, administrator, and attorney, including The Interfaith Alliance, Human Rights Campaign, Gill Foundation, and the Democratic Leadership Council. Jonathan holds a BA in Political Science from Yale and a JD from Georgetown and is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Maryland.


 * Hans A. von Spakovsky - Hans A. von Spakovsky is a Legal Scholar in the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation. He concentrates on voting, elections, civil justice, civil rights, and government reform. Hans was a Commissioner in 2006 and 2007 at the agency responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws for all congressional and presidential elections, including the presidential public funding program.  Mr. von Spakovsky served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Justice from 2002 to 2005, where he provided expertise and advice on voting and election issues, including enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.  He has also served as a member of the first Board of Advisors of the EAC, which advised the Commissioners on the administration of the Help America Vote Act.  Mr. von Spakovsky served for five years as a member of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections that was responsible for administering elections in the largest county in Georgia. Hans is a 1984 graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Law and received a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. Hans von Spakovsky has a wide range of experience in election-related issues, including campaign finance reform, voter fraud, enforcement of federal voting rights laws, election administration, and voting equipment standards.  The Commission on Federal Election Reform organized by President Jimmy Carter and Secretary James Baker also sought his expertise. He has published articles in the Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, National Review, and Human Events, and appeared on FOX News, CNN, and numerous radio shows.  He has testified before state and Congressional legislative committees, as well as made presentations to organizations such as the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors, and the Federalist Society. Prior to entering public service, Hans von Spakovsky worked for 17 years as a government affairs consultant, in a corporate legal department, and in private practice.


 * Reid Cox - Reid Alan Cox is the Legal Director of the Center for Competitive Politics, a non-profit organization whose mission - through legal briefs, studies, historical and constitutional analyses, and media communication - is to educate the public on the actual effects of money in politics, and the results of a more free and competitive electoral process. Since joining the Center, Reid has been actively involved in the First Amendment advocacy of the organization, including filing amicus briefs in cases pending before the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits.  Mr. Cox has also been an integral part of the Center's advocacy before the Federal Election Commission, and has provided commentary on campaign finance and election law in panels and online. Mr. Cox joined the Center after serving nearly three years in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was a trial attorney.  Prior to that public service, Mr. Cox was in-house counsel at another non-profit organization, the Center for Individual Freedom, where he served first as Assistant General Counsel and later as General Counsel.  There Mr. Cox had primary responsibility for the organization's litigation efforts, including serving as counsel in eight cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.  He also was responsible for the group's legal policy efforts in the areas of constitutional law, election law, media law, and intellectual property law. Mr. Cox graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University's School of Law in 2000, and was elected to the Order of the Coif.  He also earned a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Indiana University.  Immediately following law school, Mr. Cox clerked for the Honorable Anthony A. Alaimo of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.  Over the course of his career, Mr. Cox has made numerous media appearances on both radio and television, and has written commentary that has appeared both in print an online.


 * Tara Malloy - Tara Malloy is Associate Legal Counsel at Campaign Legal Center. Ms. Malloy joined the Campaign Legal Center as associate counsel in November 2006. She litigates a wide range of campaign finance cases at the state and federal level, as well as researching campaign finance, ethics and redistricting issues. Ms. Malloy has extensive experience in practical campaign finance enforcement, having served as an associate counsel at the New York City Campaign Finance Board prior to joining the Campaign Legal Center. There, she advised the Board regarding the administration of New York City's public financing system, served as Board counsel at administrative penalty hearings, and drafted legislation and implementing rules. She was also responsible for representing the Board in state and federal courts on various campaign finance matters, including permissible uses of public matching funds, disclosure requirements and the regulation of coordinated expenditures. Previously, Ms. Malloy worked in the litigation practice at the New York law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. A former Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Malloy is a graduate of Yale Law School and Emory University.

From Jason

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From Jonathan

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From Hans

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From Reid

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From Tara

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General/from discussion

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