On February 17, 1998, the Journal hosted a panel discussion entitled “Campaign Finance Reform: The Legal Issues Behind the Upcoming Congressional Debates.” The panelists were United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Professor Joel Gora of Brooklyn Law School. The discussion was moderated by Professor Burt Neuborne of NYU School of Law.
At the time, Senator Durbin was a member of the Governmental Affairs, Judiciary and Budget Committees. He played an active role in the Senate’s debates over campaign finance reform. Professor Gora had served as the Associate Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), helping to litigate the challenge to the post-Watergate campaign finance laws. His efforts contributed to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Buckley v. Valeo, in 1976. Professor Neuborne was formerly the National Legal Director of the ACLU and had testified before Congress on the various legal ramifications of proposed campaign finance reform.