Recently in Ellection 2008 Category

One hour before a Jan. 15, 2008 Las Vegas debate featuring presidential candidates from the Democratic Party, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that MSNBC is free to bar Ohio Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) from participating. The ruling vacated a temporary restraining order issued earlier that day by a Clark County District Court that said MSNBC must either cancel the broadcast or allow Kucinich to participate.

Moveon.org Eventually Paid More for its Controversial Petraeus Ad

The New York Times came under fire in September 2007 after printing a controversial Moveon.org advertisement at a reduced rate.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled Oct. 4, 2007 that the state cannot punish political candidates for making false statements about their opponents unless the false statements are also defamatory.

New Rule Follows 2007 Supreme Court Decision

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued a new rule Nov. 20, 2007 allowing corporations and labor unions to broadcast issue advertisements naming political candidates in the days immediately proceeding elections. The FEC’s decision allows the groups to make some “electioneering communications” previously prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002.

In the lead-up to the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul, Minn. and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver, groups planning to demonstrate at the events were unsuccessful in their lawsuits challenging parade routes and public demonstration zones that they argued unfairly restricted their rights to be seen and heard.

On Aug. 8, 2008, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert S. Mueller apologized to the executive editors of The Washington Post and The New York Times for obtaining the telephone records of some of the newspapers’ reporters in 2004 without following special procedures required by the Department of Justice.

In the days before the presidential election on Nov. 4, 2008, some media critics suggested the press might be too eager to call the election in favor of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), but others said that coverage reflected reality rather than partisan bias.

On Oct. 15, 2008 a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of a Minnesota law requiring anyone not voting or registering to vote on election day to remain 100 feet away from the building where voting is being conducted.

Later, the Coleman campaign also barred The UpTake from a press conference on November 11 and a campaign event featuring former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The Minnesota Independent reported that bloggers from MinnPost.com and Minnesota Democrats Exposed were admitted to those events.