Executive Order 13490

On January 17, 2014, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a legal challenge to President Obama’s ban on lobbyists serving on advisory boards and commissions in federal agencies.  The appellate decision overturned a lower court judgment, issued in September 2012, that dismissed the claims of several lobbyists who alleged…
Continue Reading Update #2: Appeals Court Reinstates Legal Challenge to Ban on Lobbyists Serving on Advisory Committees

In September 2012, we reported that Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a complaint filed by several registered lobbyists that challenged the Obama Administration’s policy barring lobbyists from federal advisory boards and commissions.  Although Judge Jackson acknowledged potential implications for rights…
Continue Reading Update: Lobbyists Appeal Decision Upholding Ban on Advisory Board Service

Inauguration Day may be a holiday in DC, but the congressional and executive branch gift rules still apply.  Today, the House Committee on Ethics issued guidance to House Members and staff regarding Inauguration events.  Today’s House guidance offered some clarity regarding who may pay for and who may attend certain…
Continue Reading Hosting an Inauguration Reception? Beware the Gift Rules.

Immediately after being sworn into office in 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13490, which barred federal lobbyists from service in his administration (on issues or in agencies they had formerly lobbied).  Then, in September 2009, the White House announced that it was encouraging federal agencies to follow this…
Continue Reading Court Upholds Ban on Lobbyists Serving on Advisory Committees