Steve Shapiro, a Common Cause Maryland member and a longtime federal employee, filed that case that became Shapiro v. McManus on his own behalf. Though not a lawyer, he represented himself when the case came before U.S. District Judge James K. Breder in Baltimore and later when it was before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. Judge Breder dismissed the case, concluding that the claim of partisan gerrymandering is not a matter for the courts to decide. While his decision was upheld by the 4th Circuit, the Supreme Court ruled...

Common Cause and its national chair, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, launched a national effort on Friday to pressure members of Congress to return campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups.

House Speaker Paul Ryan should suspend privately-funded foreign travel by House members and staff and launch a formal review of the rules governing it, Common Cause and other advocacy organizations said today.

As is their custom, Mainers are leading the way for the nation.

The Federal Election Commission should revamp its rules governing political fundraising and spending to give voters a fuller picture of who is spending money to influence their votes, Common Cause said in a written submission to the FEC on Tuesday.

“The side-show around Lois Lerner is no longer an excuse for the IRS's failure to provide clear guidance on the limits -- for tax purposes -- of political activity by social welfare organizations. There’s a direct link between the ‘mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia’ identified by the Justice Department today and the IRS’ loophole-ridden regulations on campaign-related political activities by ‘social welfare’ nonprofit organizations. It's long past time to rewrite and reform these...

We’re writing to alert you to “Redistricting Reform, Mapping Our Future,” a special event hosted by Common Cause and the George Washington University Law School next Wednesday, October 7 at the law school.

The Supreme Court should reject claims by two Texas voters that the state has unconstitutionally diluted the value of their ballots by drawing election districts with equal numbers of citizens but unequal numbers of voters, Common Cause argues in a brief filed last week in Evenwel v. Abbott.

Thanks to Senator Murkowski for recognizing that democracy is not a partisan issue. Common Cause and especially our 2,000 members and supporters in Alaska applaud her efforts to ensure that the voting rights of thousands of Alaskans who have faced discrimination at the polling place are protected.

Political organizations posing as “social welfare” nonprofits and pumping hundreds of millions of dollars from hidden donors into political campaigns are depriving voters of information they need to make decisions on Election Day, a Common Cause attorney told senators today.