Also known as: PAC · political action committee · political action committees · Political Action Committee
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A segregated fund established by a corporation or labor union to collect voluntary contributions from employees or members and make political contributions and expenditures in federal elections.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Pacific Bank forms a PAC and donates to a state official who later awards the bank a lucrative bond-counsel engagement. The firm's managing partner, who solicited the contributions, faces discipline because the donations were made to obtain the legal work.
Prosperity Investments establishes a PAC that contributes directly to federal candidates. The PAC's activities are upheld because the contributions come from a separate segregated fund rather than the corporation's general treasury.
Paragon Construction's union PAC makes expenditures on television ads supporting a candidate. The expenditure is protected because the PAC operates independently and the speech is not coordinated with the campaign.
Progressive Healthcare employees contribute to a PAC that funds litigation against a state voter-identification statute. The PAC's standing is recognized because the law imposes burdens on the organization's members who seek to vote.
Paula Pierce, a judicial candidate, receives contributions from a lawyers' PAC. The state may not prohibit the candidate from announcing positions on legal issues because the PAC support does not create an appearance of bias requiring recusal.
Pilar Pena's PAC donates to candidates who support extending copyright terms. The contributions are lawful because the PAC is a separate entity and the donations do not violate limits on direct corporate expenditures.
A PAC is a separate segregated fund that may receive voluntary contributions and make contributions to candidates. Direct contributions from a corporation's general treasury to federal candidates remain prohibited.
Supporting sources
Lawyers may participate in the political process through PAC contributions, but contributions made for the purpose of obtaining a government legal engagement or judicial appointment violate professional conduct rules.
McConnell upheld the requirement that corporations and unions use PACs rather than general treasury funds for federal election contributions and expenditures.
Supporting sources
…but it expressly permitted corporations and unions to establish and administer separate segregated funds (commonly known as political action committees, or PACs) for election-related contributions and expenditures. Id. , at 12-13. See Pipefitters v. United States , 407 U.S. 385, 409-410 (1972). As the 1972 presidential elections made…