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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, N.Y. (March 22, 2002)— IDS President Alfred F. Ross today denounced efforts by Sen. Mitch McConnell and his newly appointed "legal team" to overturn large parts of the new campaign finance bill. "It is not surprising," said Ross, "that Kenneth Starr and James Bopp are among those who have been selected by Sen. Mitch McConnell to strangle this vital new campaign legislation while it is still in the crib." Ross went on to say that, "IDS has long identified the central role that James Bopp, Jr. has played--and continues to play--on behalf of such organizations as the Christian Coalition, the National Right to Life Committee, the National Rifle Association--all of which have vehemently opposed campaign finance reform." Writing in IDS Insights nearly two years ago, IDS Law Associate Julie Gerchik noted that, "Although not a household name, James Bopp is becoming synonymous with the soft-money issues that are dominating the controversy surrounding campaign reform. He is the craftsman behind organizations that are fueling the anti-campaign finance reform debate." Among his many affiliations, Bopp is Chair of the Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group of the Federalist Society. The Institute for Democracy Studies recently released a major study on the Federalist Society, The Federalist Society and the Challenge to A Democratic Jurisprudence. "It is evident," noted Ross, "that when Ted Olson-- the former President of the Federalist Society's D.C Chapter and now U.S. Solicitor General--argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court, he was determined not merely to seat George W. Bush in the Oval Office but to transform every aspect of American jurisprudence in the image of the extremist Federalist Society agenda. It will indeed be interesting to see how Olson defends this new law on behalf of the administration." Copies of IDS reports and articles are available online at www.idsonline.org. |