Print

xviii Chronology 1939 Congress enacts the Hatch Act as a measure to limit the political activity of public employees paid with federal money. 1946 Congress adopts the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 to regulate the practice of lobbying Congress. 1947 Congress passes the Labor Management Relations Act (Taft–Hartley Act), a law that prevents corporations and labor unions from expending money to influence federal elections. 1947 In United Public Workers v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the Hatch Act. 1949 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopts the Fairness Doctrine as a means to require television and radio stations to present information to the public in an honest, equitable, and balanced manner. 1951 Congress adopts the Hobbs Act, legislation often used to prosecute public officials for corruption and extortion. 1964 The Twenty-Fourth Amendment is adopted, banning poll taxes. 1965 Congress passes—and President Lyndon B. Johnson signs—the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 1966 In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, the Supreme Court rules that a Virginia poll tax is an unconstitutional violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. 1970 Congress adopts the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to replace the Corrupt Practices Act as the main law regulating the financing of federal elections. 1970 John Gardner founds Common Cause, a nonpartisan group advocating for ethics in government and for campaign finance reform. 1972 On June 17, burglars associated with President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign break in to National Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. This incident marks the beginning of the political scandal known as Watergate, which ultimately brings down Nixon’s presidency. 1972 In Bullock v. Carter, the Supreme Court rules that candidate filing fees are unconstitutional. 1973 On October 20, President Nixon orders the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, in what has come to be known as the Saturday Night Massacre. 1974 Congress enacts a law barring foreign nationals from expending or contributing money to influence U.S. elections. 1974 Congress creates the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to regulate the financing of federal campaigns.