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Spotcheck

Newsletter of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform September 11, 2003

In this Issue
* McCain Feingold Faces Ultimate Test
* Federal Judge Delays FCC Media Ownership Rules
* ICPR to Hire Judicial Reform Program Manager
* Gov. Blagojevich to Give Speech on Ethics

McCain Feingold Faces Ultimate Test
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday on the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Key issues were the ban on soft money given to national parties and the requirement that groups running attack ads right before elections comply with federal disclosure and hard money requirements. As with every other major issue before the Court this term, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is expected to be the swing vote in what will likely be a 5-4 decision.

The decision, expected by year’s end, will likely define the rules for financing federal elections for another generation. But the ruling may have a local impact as well. Components of Illinois’ recently-signed Help America Vote Act implementation bill, SB 428, mirror the new federal laws regarding attack ads run right before elections. ICPR is working closely with many of the national groups coordinating arguments for the Supreme Court case, and we will keep you apprised of developments. For more on the oral arguments, click here.

Federal Judge Delays FCC Media Ownership Rules
The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a stay of the Federal Communications Commission’s new rules regarding media ownership. The stay blocks implementation of the controversial new rules, which would have allowed the same media giants to own stations covering up to 45% of the market.

ICPR is continuing to explore ways to encourage better television coverage of campaigns. News coverage of state political races continues to decline, with broadcast stories focusing almost entirely on the top of the ticket, and on horserace issues rather than substantive matters. At the same time, candidates are forced to buy ad time to get their message out – two Chicago stations each billed in excess of $10 million from candidates during the 2002 elections. We continue to believe that media profiteering on elections is an abuse of their public license. For more information on our efforts in this area, click here. To get involved, e-mail Dan Johnson-Weinberger (at Dan@ilcampaign.org).

ICPR to Hire Judicial Reform Program Manager
ICPR is looking to hire a new full-time staff person to support our efforts on judicial reform. For the job posting, click here.

Gov. Blagojevich to Give Speech on Ethics
Gov. Rod Blagojevich will give a speech on ethics on Wednesday in Chicago which will likely preview his approach to the subject in the November veto session. Updates will be forthcoming. Click here for the governor’s amendatory veto message. (PDF file)