Sandler Reiff & Young partner Joseph Sandler was quoted in the August 15, 2009 New York Times article by David M. Halfbinger regarding conversations between Karl Rove and Christopher J. Christie, the Republican candidate for New Jersey governor. Democrats argue Rove and Christie violated federal law, while the two Republicans say their conversations were casual.
Joseph Sandler, a Washington lawyer who has advised Democrats on Hatch Act compliance, said asking about advisers was clearly “laying the groundwork.” A call to Mr. Rove, he added, was almost by definition impermissible. “Asking the top political professional in America who he should get educated with in contemplation of a candidacy — that’s not a casual conversation with friends at a cocktail party,” he said.
Joe Sandler and Neil Reiff testified before the Federal Elections Commission Wednesday in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking addressing the definition of “federal election activity.” Both proposed modifications to the definitions of “Get Out the Vote Activity” and “Voter Registration Activity” in response to the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Shays v. FEC (Shays III). Their testimony centered on the difference between encouragement and facilitation as far as federal election activity is concerned.
Read their comments and listen to the full testimony here.
Neil Reiff and Liz Howard were featured presenters at the recent compliance and finance training sponsored by Grassroots Democrats.
The training was designed to provide updated legal and strategic information to state party organizations from across the country. Attendees included executive and finance directors as well as state party comptroller staff. Reiff and Howard expect to do more training in the future.
Neil Reiff was quoted in a Roll Call article about the potential consequences of The Supreme Court deciding to re-hear the Citizens United Case. According to Roll Call, “The Citizens United case is expected to test a nearly 20-year-old Supreme Court decision, Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce, which upheld a ban on “independent expenditures” by corporations and trade associations, including television ads that either endorse or attack candidates.” Reiff said that one of the consequences of Austin would likely be an “end the days of political ads by many outside groups and corporations that straddle a legal line between “issue advocacy” and “direct electoral advocacy.” Read the full article here.
Neil Reiff and Joseph Sandler spoke before the Federal Election Commission in its first-ever hearing under a new procedure that allows regulated political committees audited by the FEC to challenge staff audit findings before the FEC commissioners vote on whether to approve the findings.
According to BNA’s Money and Politics Report, Mr. Reiff and Mr. Sandler, Attorneys for the Tennessee Democratic Party, were there “to explain why they disagreed with conclusions of a staff audit of the state party’s activities during the 2006 Senate race in Tennessee.”
Joe Sandler appeared live on Federal News Tonight on News Channel 8 to discuss Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission. You can watch him discuss the history of the case and the consequences of the Supreme Court’s potential ruling here.
John Hardin Young, who led the recount effort for the Gore campaign in 2000, is played by Steve DuMouchel in HBO’s feature film Recount, which debuted on May 25, 2008. ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper comments on Young’s role in the affair on the network’s blog “Political Punch.”
Neil Reiff of Sandler, Reiff & Young said the “Millionaires’ Amendment” decision leaves a handful of questions unanswered for House and Senate candidates. By Matthew Murray, Roll Call, June 30, 2008. Full Text here.
Associate Elizabeth Getman filed a brief in Jack Davis v. Federal Election Commission, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.The appeal challenges the constitutionality of Section 319 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. The provision, known as “the Millionaire’s Amendment,” seeks to regulate federal candidates’ personal campaign expenditures. Getman serves as co-counsel with the Brand Law Group in representing the appellant, Jack Davis, a past Democratic Party nominee for New York’s 26th Congressional District seat to the U.S. House of Representatives. (February 20, 2008)
