McCain-Feingold in Cyberspace:
How Much Should Bloggers and the Internet Be Regulated?
March 31, 2005
Overview | Panelist Biographies | Media Advisory | Video/MP3
Panelists
Chairman Scott Thomas,
Federal Election Commission
Commissioner Thomas began his service at the FEC as a legal intern during the summer of 1975. The Commission had just opened its doors in the wake of the Watergate scandal and related congressional hearings. Upon graduating from law school in 1977, Mr. Thomas worked on the FEC's legal staff, eventually serving as an Assistant General Counsel in the Enforcement Division. In 1983, he became Executive Assistant to then Commissioner Tom Harris, a Democrat and one of the original FEC commissioners. Full Bio
John Morris,
Center for Democracy & Technology
John B. Morris, Jr. is the Director of CDT's "Internet Standards, Technology and Policy Project." Prior to joining CDT in April 2001, Mr. Morris was a partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block, where he litigated groundbreaking cases in Internet and First Amendment law. He was a lead counsel in the ACLU v. Reno/American Library Association v. U.S. Dep't of Justice case, in which the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and extended to speech on the Internet the highest level of constitutional protection. In that case, Mr. Morris was responsible for the development of the factual presentation concerning how the Internet works, a presentation that served as the foundation for the Supreme Court's landmark decision. Full Bio
Mike Krempasky, RedState.org
Mike Krempasky is the co-founder of The Online Coalition, a bipartisan group of bloggers and online professionals organized to protect the rights of online activists. He is also the co-founder of RedState.org, a conservative collaborative weblog. In addition, he started and maintains Rathergate.com, NotSpecter.com, and ConfirmThem.com. Full Bio
Michael Cornfield,
Pew Internet & American Life Project,
moderator
Michael Cornfield, a political scientist, studies campaign politics, the public discourse, and the Internet. He is the author of two books on the subject: Politics Moves Online: Campaigning and the Internet (The Century Foundation, 2004) and The Civic Web: Online Politics and Democratic Values, co-edited with David M. Anderson (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003). Cornfield writes a monthly column for Campaigns and Elections magazine, the leading trade publication for professional politicians. He is interviewed frequently about online politics by the press, and has lectured on the subject at colleges, universities, and professional conventions throughout the world. Full Bio