Federal courts began reshaping campaign-finance law in light of a January Supreme Court decision lifting some political-spending limits. The rulings Friday set the stage for future court action that Republicans hope will free their party from restrictions on raising money.

The Federal Elections Commission sent a letter to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s campaign on Thursday warning of numerous errors in her campaign finance reports. Among the problems are accepting contributions above the legal limit from both individuals and political action committees and incorrect or missing dates, names and employers.

WASHINGTON — Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday released tax returns going back to 2000 and challenged rival Marco Rubio to do the same, another salvo in their escalating U.S. Senate race.

Interesting news ahead of the $10,000-a-pop photo op dinner with Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin in April: Bachmann for Congress has been rapped by the Federal Election Commission for what the FEC says are "one or more contributions that appear to exceed" limits on campaign donations in the fall of 2009.

In a small office overlooking Indiana's Highway 40, James Bopp Jr. is preparing a nationwide assault on campaign finance regulations.

For decades, Bopp, the vice chairman of the Republican National Committee, has fought restrictions on political spending, seeing them as an affront to free speech, and he was the force behind a recent Supreme Court ruling freeing corporations and unions to spend as much as they want on political ads.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., dropped a political bombshell in February when he announced he would not seek re-election to another term. Among the biggest questions in the immediate aftermath: What would this mean for the Democrats?

Campaign finance reports show Charlie Crist's struggling U.S. Senate campaign has enjoyed some questionable expenses on the Florida Republican Party's American Express account.

After spending a year talking tersely to Republicans, populist firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) may soon be getting a scolding of his own — from election regulators for botching disclosure language on a recent fundraising appeal.

DENVER - Corporations that want to spend money on Colorado elections might soon face tighter requirements for telling the public about their campaign activities.

Gov. Bill Ritter and Secretary of State Bernie Buescher are backing the effort, which they said would be introduced in the Legislature this year. It's a response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that said corporations have the First Amendment right to spend freely on elections.

Why was former state GOP executive director Delmar Johnson charging so many Charlie Crist campaign expenses on his party credit card? On July 7, Crist's campaign made a $16,676 payment to American Express for "reimbursement for expenses" that were on Johnson's card.

Madison — In the wake of a January U.S. Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin's elections agency voted unanimously Tuesday to drop enforcement of a more than century-old state ban on corporate spending to elect or defeat political candidates.

AKRON, OHIO -- A federal judge set bond for retired mall magnate John "J.J." Cafaro at $50,000 during his detention hearing yesterday.

The 58-year-old developer, who was instrumental in bringing Spotsylvania Mall to Fredericksburg in 1980 and in its recent renovation as Spotsylvania Towne Centre, also was ordered to submit to and pay for electronic monitoring. He cannot leave northern Ohio without court permission.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled today that the Colorado Constitution’s bans on certain political contributions from corporations and labor groups violate the First Amendment in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision in January.

The first political ads bought by a corporation in Texas appeared in East Texas newspapers just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the state's ban on that kind of spending.

At his detention hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge John R. Adams set bond for John "J.J." Cafaro at $50,000 and ordered electronic monitoring.

Cafaro entered the courtroom wearing orange prison garb, handcuffed with his hands in front, shackled at his feet, and wearing a chain around his waist.

Normally, buying stuff for a federal campaign with money from your state campaign account is a huge no-no.

But Ohio's chief elections official apparently has found a way around that federal restriction.

The message to incumbents? No one is safe.

The wild card in the 2010 midterm campaign is spending -- specifically, unrestricted spending by corporations, trade groups, and labor unions. In its January decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court overturned part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law as well as one of its own precedents in order to allow private groups to spend freely on campaigns right up to Election Day.

Campaign video: “It’s our democracy. We bought it, we paid for it, and we are going to keep it!”

“Hey John. This November, when you vote for United States Congress in Maryland’s 8th CD, cast your vote for Murray Hill Inc.” I was excited.

Ex-shopping mall executive John J. Cafaro is jailed for a few days after failing to give a judge details of his personal finances.

WASHINGTON — After announcing plans to leave the House of Representatives, Florida Democrat Robert Wexler went on to spend more than $340,000 of his campaign funds on staff bonuses, airline tickets and other expenses.

Two years ago, Barack Obama, eager to win the Pennsylvania primary and the Democratic nomination for US president, launched an advertisement with a simple message: if elected, he would end Washington’s corrupt ways.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. expressed doubt about having members of the Supreme Court attend the State of the Union address ["Obama vs. Supreme Court, Round 2," front page, March 11]. He was upset that President Obama directly criticized the court's 5 to 4 decision injecting corporate funding into candidate elections.

If corporations sported body parts, Murray Hill Inc. would this week have its tongue intractably implanted in its cheek. Tongue or not, the Maryland public relations firm, reacting to the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Read full story >

Charities And Other 501(c) Groups Could Find Themselves In An Uncomfortable Spot

In the wake of the Supreme Court's recent ruling to deregulate corporate political spending, public attention has focused squarely on whether businesses and for-profit companies will now lavish big money on elections.

The senior attorney at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the Supreme Court’s loosening of campaign finance restrictions will have little effect on the group’s politicking.