United States Ninth Circuit

In a prosecution for violating federal campaign finance laws, dismissal of the charges of contributing in the names of others in violation of 2 U.S.C. section 441f is reversed where section 441f prohibits a person from providing money to others to donate to a candidate for federal office in their own names, when in reality they were merely "straw donors."

Appellate Information

• Argued 01/13/2010
• Decided 06/14/2010
• Published 06/14/2010

Judges

• Before ALFRED T. GOODWIN, WILLIAM C. CANBY, JR., and RAYMOND C. FISHER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• George S. Cardona, Acting United States Attorney, Christine C. Ewell, Assistant United States Attorney, and Erik M. Silber (argued), Assistant United States Attorney, Los Angeles, CA, for the plaintiff-appellant., Thomasenia P. Duncan, David Kolker, Kevin Deeley, Erin Chlopak and Steve Hajjar, Federal Election Commission, Washington, D.C., for amicus curiae Federal Election Commission., Peter Ferrara, American Civil Rights Union, McLean, VA, for amicus curiae American Civil Rights Union., J. Gerald Hebert, Paul S. Ryan and Tara Malloy, Campaign Legal Center, Washington, D.C.; Donald J. Simon, Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP, Washington, D.C.; Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21, Washington, D.C., for amici curiae Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21., Melanie Sloan, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Washington, D.C., for amicus curiae Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.


• For Appellees:
  
• George J. Terwilliger III (argued), Daniel B. Levin, Darryl S. Lew and Michael H. Huneke, White & Case LLP, Washington, D.C., for the defendant-appellee.