FEC v. Akins
Federal Election Commission v. Akins | |
---|---|
Holding | |
The Court held that an individual could sue for a violation of a federal law pursuant to a statute enacted by the U.S. Congress which created a general right to access certain information. | |
Court membership | |
| |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Breyer, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg |
Dissent | Scalia, joined by O'Connor, Thomas |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. Art. III |
Federal Election Commission v. Akins, 524 U.S. 11 (1998), was a United States Supreme Court case deciding that an individual could sue for a violation of a federal law pursuant to a statute enacted by the U.S. Congress which created a general right to access certain information.[1]
Facts
The
Issue
Did the plaintiffs suffer an injury in fact sufficient to establish standing?
Opinion of the Court
The Court, in an opinion by
The Court distinguished this case from
The case was remanded to the FEC to review its definition of 'members.' The Court noted that the FEC was producing new guidelines regarding this issue, which would address it and not require a new legal precedent. The plaintiffs were bitterly disappointed by the decision not to intervene, as the effort to have AIPAC legally declared a political action committee was a higher priority than the (successful) effort to show standing to have filed this lawsuit in the first place. While they repeatedly attempted filings to have the case re-opened, these were entirely rejected, and in 2010 a Federal court in D.C. ruled that the lawsuit had no merit as electoral law and it was officially and finally dismissed.
Dissent
See also
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 524
- List of United States Supreme Court cases
- Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume
References
- ^ FEC v. Akins, 524 U.S. 11 (1998).
- ^ Akins v. FEC, 66 F.3d 348 (D.C. Cir. 1995).
- ^ Akins v. FEC, 101 F.3d 731 (D.C. Cir. 1997).
- ^ Akins, 524 U.S. at 24 ("[W]here a harm is concrete, though widely shared, the Court has found 'injury in fact.'").
External links
- Text of FEC v. Akins, 524 U.S. 11 (1998) is available from: Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)