Skip to content

Brought to you by

Dentons logo

Soapbox

A politics and policy blog

open menu close menu

Soapbox

  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Topics
    • Topics
    • Federal Government Affairs
    • Dentons 50
    • State Attorneys General
    • Local Government Solutions
    • Elections
  • States
    • States
    • Colorado
    • Georgia
    • Hawai`i
    • Iowa
    • Pennsylvania
  • Guides and Resources
    • Guides and Resources
    • 2020 Presidential Election
    • Dentons Dialogue: US Policy Perspectives
    • State and Local
    • State Attorneys General
    • 100 Days Report 2021
    • US Policy Fall Preview 2021
  • Policy Scan 2021
    • Introduction
    • Administration
    • First 100 days
    • Policy in a Biden Administration
    • Congress
    • 50 state overview
    • Calendars

Three New Commissioners Join FEC as Busy 2021 Looms

By Michael Pfeifer and Benjamin Keane
December 23, 2020
  • Federal Government Affairs
  • Elections
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn

On December 18, 2020, three new Commissioners were officially sworn in as members of the Federal Election Commission (FEC or Commission), restoring the agency’s quorum and its ability to conduct business for the first time since June of 2020.  The appointees – Ms. Shana Broussard, Mr. Sean Cooksey, and Mr. Allen Dickerson – were nominated by President Trump earlier this year and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 9th.  After months without a voting quorum, the FEC will now be able to commence its core regulatory and enforcement functions on matters of campaign finance and elections, including issuing advisory opinions, promulgating and implementing regulations, and taking formal action in enforcement matters.

For the first time in roughly three years, the panel will be at a full slate of six Commission members. The newest appointees include one Democrat and two Republicans with differing backgrounds and viewpoints on the role of the Commission and the appropriate reach of federal campaign finance and election law.  Shana Broussard, the newest Democrat Commissioner, fills the seat previously held by former Commissioner Ann Ravel and holds a term that extends through April 30, 2023.  Ms. Broussard served as counsel to Commissioner Steven Walther prior to her appointment and also has previous public service experience as an Attorney Advisor for the Internal Revenue Service and Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, LA.  Commissioner Cooksey – one of the new Republican additions to the Commission – joins the agency after serving as General Counsel to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and Deputy General Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.  Prior to his government service, Mr. Cooksey worked as an attorney in private practice focusing on appellate and constitutional law.  Commissioner Dickerson – the second of the new Republican members of the Commission – joins the agency after a long stint as legal director for the Institute for Free Speech and its nationwide First Amendment litigation practice.  Mr. Dickerson also has background as a Judge Advocate in the US Army Reserve and as a private practice litigator.  

Due to its longstanding lack of a quorum, the FEC currently faces a significant matter backlog with at least – 446 open matters before the agency and 275 staff reports awaiting action.  The beginning of 2021 thus looks to be a busy one for the new Commissioners, as they attempt to clear their docket and set priorities for regulation and enforcement in the dynamic of a Biden administration.   In light of this reality, the Dentons Political Law Team, which regularly represents clients before the FEC in enforcement matters, investigations, audits, advisory opinion requests, and other matters, will monitor the agency’s activities in the coming months and provide regular updates.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn
Subscribe and stay updated
Receive our latest blog posts by email.
Stay in Touch
agency, commissioners, FEC
Michael Pfeifer

About Michael Pfeifer

Michael Pfeifer is member of Dentons' Political Law, Ethics and Disclosure team. The focus of his practice is providing lobbying, campaign finance, and government ethics compliance counsel and representation to trade associations, political action committees (PACs), corporations and other business entities, non-profit organizations and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels.

All posts Full bio

Benjamin Keane

About Benjamin Keane

Ben Keane is a Partner in the Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA offices of Dentons and is co-head of the firm’s Political Law, Ethics and Disclosure Team. Ben is a Chambers & Partners nationally-recognized political law attorney that focuses his practice on the representation of elected officials, political candidates, PACs, SuperPACs, political parties, corporations, non-profit organizations and other entities with regard to federal, state and local election law, campaign finance, lobbying, pay-to-play, and ethics matters.

All posts Full bio

RELATED POSTS

  • Federal Government Affairs

What’s in store for the debt limit in 2017?

The federal debt limit, also known as the debt ceiling, is the legal limit, set by Congress, on the total […]

By Gary Goldberg
  • Federal Government Affairs

The Better Care Reconciliation Act: It’s all up to the Senate

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the details of the Senate’s healthcare discussion draft. Dubbed the “Better Care Reconciliation […]

By Jenifer Healy and John R. Russell, IV
  • Federal Government Affairs
  • Elections

PRESIDENTIAL PREVIEW: The Battle for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave

By John R. Russell, IV, Eric Tanenblatt, Chris Fetzer, Sander Lurie, Gary Goldberg, Thurbert Baker, David Quam, Margeaux Plaisted, and Ashley Lawrence

About Dentons

Dentons is designed to be different. As the world’s largest law firm with 20,000 professionals in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries, we can help you grow, protect, operate and finance your business. Our polycentric and purpose-driven approach, together with our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and ESG, ensures we challenge the status quo to stay focused on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com

Dentons boilerplate image

Twitter

Categories

  • Federal Government Affairs
  • Dentons 50
  • Colorado
  • Georgia
  • Hawai`i
  • Iowa
  • Pennsylvania
  • State Attorneys General
  • Local Government Solutions
  • Elections
  • General

Subscribe and stay updated

Receive our latest blog posts by email.

Stay in Touch

Dentons logo white

© 2022 Dentons

  • Legal notices
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Cookies on this site