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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
FEC v. Akins
Citation:
524 U.S. 11 (1998)Facts
The respondents, a group of voters with views often opposed to those of AIPAC, filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that AIPAC qualified as a “political committee” under FECA because it had made more than $1,000 in qualifying expenditures. They argued that AIPAC should be required to register with the FEC and disclose information about its members, contributions, and expenditures as required by FECA. The FEC’s General Counsel found that AIPAC had made campaign-related expenditures likely exceeding $1,000, but the FEC nonetheless dismissed the complaint. The FEC determined that AIPAC was not a “political committee” because its “major purpose” was not the nomination or election of candidates, but rather it was fundamentally an issue-oriented lobbying organization. AIPAC described itself as an organization that seeks to maintain friendship and promote goodwill between the United States and Israel. The respondents sought judicial review, claiming they were injured by being denied access to information about AIPAC’s activities that would help them evaluate candidates for public office.
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