The Super Lawyers 2014 Annual List of top attorneys in the Washington, D.C. metro area have just named Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff and Joesph Birkenstock as three of only twenty-one lawyers for their outstanding work in the field of Legislative and Government Affairs. In addition, Elizabeth Howard was named as one of only five lawyers in the Rising Stars section for Administrative Law.
The Election Law Society at the College of William and Mary Law School awarded Liz Howard (J.D. ’09) with the ELS Alumnus of the Year Award. In addition to her regular outstanding practice advising candidates, committees, non-profits, and lobbyists on election law matters, Ms. Howard was also recognized for her tireless work last November serving on the recount team for the Mark Herring for Attorney General [of Virginia]. She was also recognized for her work as lead counsel of the victorious recount team for Lynwood Lewis, whose state Senate special election decided control of the Virginia State Senate.
Ms. Howard was honored on March 21st at the second annual D.C. Friends of ELS Reception.
Liz Howard was quoted in a recent article in the Daily Online Examiner regarding disclaimer rules for mobile ads. At issue is whether political ads that appear on mobile phones need to include disclaimer language indicating who paid for the ad and if it was authorized by a candidate. Such disclaimers are traditionally found in tv, print, and online advertisements. Ms. Howard told the Daily Online Examiner that if a disclaimer is not included in an ad, the Federal Elections Commission may fine the campaign up to $5,000, or the amount of money spent on the ad, whichever is greater.
However, in an Advisory Opinion Request to the FEC, SRYL client Revolution Messaging asked that mobile ads be exempt from disclaimer requirements due to ads’ small sizes on mobile phones. This would put them in a category similar to bumper stickers and lapel pins, rather than traditional paid media.
Jack Young and Liz Howard co-authored Chapter 1, “Defining Population for Purposes of Redistricting,” in the newest edition of America Votes!
The chapter features the latest developments in the field of census-taking as it applies to the decennial task of redistricting, and offers a comprehensive look at various methods used to determine “population.”
America Votes!, Second Edition is published by the American Bar Association and is available for purchase
Sandler Reiff Young & Lamb attorney Liz Howard was quoted today in a Slate.com article regarding political text message spam. The article discusses the proliferation of these unwanted and unsolicited text messages, which cost recipients money in text message charges, in recent elections. Although the Telephone Consumer Protection Act prohibits sending unsolicited political text messages, some spammers believe they have found a loophole in the law.
In a recent Petition submitted to the FCC on behalf of Scott Goodstein’s firm, Revolution Messaging, Inc., Howard and Joe Sandler request the agency to clarify that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act prohibits all political text message spam, even text message spam sent using internet-to-phone SMS. “’You’re not allowed to use an auto-dialing device to call a cell phone without express consent,’ argues Elizabeth Howard, a lawyer with the Washington firm Sandler Reiff Young & Lamb who drafted Revolution’s petition.”
In addition to the article at Slate.com, the issue was also covered by the Los Angeles Times.
Sandler, Reiff, Young, & Lamb associate Liz Howard was recently profiled by the College of William and Mary Law School. As a law student at the College, Howard co-founded the Election Law Society, which according to the profile, led her to take classes on campus in Williamsburg, Virginia and in Washington, D.C. According to the profile, being in Washington let her interact with election law experts and practitioners. Said Howard, “The opportunity to learn from practitioners in DC was truly phenomenal. In essence, real-time learning using real-life scenarios.”
On November 18, Joe Sandler and Liz Howard will appear at the ABA’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section’s Fall Conference on the “How New Pay-to-Play Regulations Impact Your Clients” panel. The panel will include the following panelists: Joseph Sandler, Ki Hong, Partner at Skadden Arps, Mark Renaud, Partner at Wiley Rein and Liz Howard will serve as the monderator. Panelists will discuss current and future trends in pay-to-play laws.
To register for this event, please visit the ABA’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section’s website.
Liz Howard contributed to the recently published twelfth volume of the ABA’s Developments in Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice (ABA 2011). In the introduction for the Elections chapter, she commented on the interesting developments and factors affecting election law in the previous year, including President Obama’s references to campaign finance law in his State of the Union address and the potential impact of current litigation.
The book may be purchased here on the ABA’s website.
Liz Howard was a featured presenter at the recent leadership conference hosted by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. The presentation was designed to provide an overview of the legal issues surrounding running for political office, such as fundraising, independent expenditures and restrictions on advertising. Ms. Howard expects to continue her relationship with CYLC and the attendees.
At the end of last year, the Election Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Practice appointed Liz Howard as the Committee’s liaison to the ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law. In this capacity, Liz will be responsible for coordination and communication between these two groups which represent the ABA’s two main bodies concerned with campaign finance, election administration and other election law issues.
