Today at the Alabama Ethics Commission, the five member panel heard Motions to Reconsider certain advisory opinions, appeals of civil penalties for failure to comply with campaign finance laws, and two matters which concerned public officials – heard behind closed doors in Executive Session.
One noteworthy Advisory Opinion concerned the Ethics Commission’s position that the Legislature delegated the Ethics Commission the power to “set aside” civil penalties by reducing the number of civil penalties pending against a Defendant. The Attorney General’s Office, represented by Solicitor General Andrew Brasher, argued that the Ethics Commission should not have that power, as it would infringe upon the sovereign domain of the prosecutor’s office. After lengthy argument, the Ethics Commission disagreed with the Attorney General and voted to uphold their opinion.
With only seconds behind the Commission’s decision to uphold their authority to reduce the number of civil penalties against a Defendant, the Commission began to do just that. Eight persons or entities then made their case to the Commission that their civil penalties for campaign violations should be set aside for good cause. The Commission granted every request.
The last two matters to be heard before the Commission were held in Executive Committee. One of those matters involved the question of whether the current Attorney General violated Alabama Ethics law when he received PAC-to-PAC contributions from RAGA.
To view Alabama Ethics Commission – Agenda for December 19, 2018, click that text.
For more information or representation before the Alabama Ethics Commission, contact our firm. Alabama needs more qualified candidates to jump into the political process – and you don’t need to be afraid of ethics laws holding you back.
About the Author, Samuel J. McLure, Esq.
Sam graduated from Huntington College in 2006 with a degree in Business Administration. Before transferring to Huntington College, he attended Bethune-Cookman University as the first minority-white running back in the historically black conference.
He went on to Jones School of Law and graduated with honors, cum laude. During law school, Sam had the distinguished honor of serving with the Faulkner Law Review, clerking with Supreme Court Justice Patricia Smith, clerking with the Attorney General’s Office, and studying International Law with Cornell University in Paris, France.
However, Sam’s most memorable law school achievement was adopting his first child from the Hungarian foster-care system. It was through that process that he and his wife saw the great need to protect children in the foster care system and to encourage adoption.
Sam’s law practice has maintained an orbit around protecting vulnerable and at-risk children. He and his wife have four children and have been actively engaged in the foster care system. Sam is the author of The End of Orphan Care, and book devoted to unpacking the orthodoxy and orthopraxy of orphan care; and has founded or served with ministries and community outreach initiatives such as Kiwanis, Personhood Alabama, Proposal 16, and Sav-a-Life.