FEC will appeal voiding of its regulations
AP reports: The Federal Election Commission said Tuesday it will appeal a federal judge's decision to strike down more than a dozen of the government's current rules on political fund raising.
In a statement, however, the commission said it had not decided whether to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals to review all or some of the rules sent back to the agency by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
Last week, Kollar-Kotelly ordered the FEC to write new rules to govern key aspects of fund raising, including when candidates and outside parties can coordinate activities.
Kollar-Kotelly ruled that some of the regulations the FEC devised after passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in 2002 would "create an immense loophole" and allow for abuses that lawmakers who wrote the law never intended.
FEC commissioner Michael Toner, a Republican, said the appeal was necessary. "The commission's regulations clearly and effectively implemented the law," Toner said. -- FEC to appeal campaign finance ruling (AP via Boston.com)