Session Four, Transform Politics: Reform Campaign Finance

Foreign money and corporate money in American politics have long threatened American democracy, but in recent years, the threat has become overwhelming. Citizens United, the Supreme Court case that redefined corruption, has had a massive impact on our politics in just 7 years. Is Donald Trump taking foreign money in direct violation of the Constitution? We examine the history and future of foreign and corporate money in politics.

The session for this event took place November 20, 2017 in the Chase Center at Vermont Law School.

You can view the session in its entirety below:

About the speaker

Zephyr Teachout

Zephyr Teachout, who is an Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University, specializies in laws governing political behavior. Her past roles have included Visit Assistant Professor of Law at Duke University, National Director of the Sunlight Foundation, and Lecturer at University of Vermont.

Resources

Books and Articles

“Extraterritorial Electioneering and the Globalization of American Elections,” Berkeley Journal of International Law, 2009, by Zephyr Teachout
Seven Years Later: Blurred boundaries, more money (2017), by Emily Dalgo and Ashley Balcerzak
"Buying Power," The New York Times, 2015, Nicholas Confessore, Sarah Cohen and Karen Yourish
"The Emoluments Clause: Its Text, Meaning, and Application to Donald J. Trump," 2016, by Norman L. Eisen, Richard Painter, and Laurence H. Tribe
"Want to Reform Campaign Finance and Reduce Corruption? Here’s How." Washington Post, 2015, by Ray LaRaja and Brian Schaffner
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, USSC 2014
"The Emoluments Clause: Its Text, Meaning, and Application to Donald J. Trump," 2016, by Norman L. Eisen, Richard Painter, and Laurence H. Tribe