The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 61 - A Call to Service: From Public Duty to Spiritual Advocacy
Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance - updated with impact of COVID-19 on NYS lobbying community
[WEBINAR] "Walking the Line" - Public Agencies', Officials' and Employees' Roles in Local Elections
[WEBINAR] Who Does What? Defining Proper Roles for Staff and Elected Officials
Bribery & Corruption in the Military. A Front-Line View (Part II)
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
Blogging for Lawyers
In a judgment of 30 July 2025, the Higher Regional Court of Munich sentenced a former member of the Bundestag to a suspended sentence of nine months and a fine of EUR 10,000 for bribery of Council of Europe parliamentarians...more
A Georgia Court of Appeals decision will now stand after the Georgia Supreme Court declined on Tuesday, July 1, to review the case. The ruling has serious implications for the doctrine of official immunity for K-12 employees...more
Recently, the Ninth Circuit had the opportunity to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s test laid out in Lindke v. Freed (March 2024) to determine whether a public official’s use of social media is state action subject to First...more
Public officials often ask whether the First Amendment restricts their activities on social media, particularly when they seek to delete comments or block individuals from accessing their accounts. Generally, in order for an...more
Even the most publicity-loving among us agree that being in the news is generally not a good thing when it comes to ethics. Unfortunately, stories about ethics mistakes, violations, and slip-ups are commonplace. ...more
In Advisory Opinion 2025-01, the Ohio Ethics Commission (OEC) clarified when a public official or employee’s domestic partner crosses over to “family” for purposes of Ohio’s Ethics laws....more
Father Joseph Ciccone's mission to serve the public has been an unwavering and guiding force throughout his life. He’s held many titles over the years: police officer, teacher, detective, Bergen County Sheriff, priest. But...more
On April 23, 2025, Dale Britt Bendler, a former CIA officer and contractor, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from acting as a foreign agent while serving as a public official and mishandling classified materials. According...more
Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of four new deputy mayors to replace those who resigned last month due to concerns about his ongoing federal corruption indictment. The following appointments were made: Adolfo...more
The Ohio Ethics Commission recently issued Advisory Opinion No. 2025-01, clarifying that domestic partners are now considered "family members" under Ohio's Ethics Law. This opinion marks a significant step in modernizing the...more
New York’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government will retain its enforcement power the Court of Appeals has ruled, dealing a blow to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attempt to strip the state ethics board of its power...more
Last Monday, the Justice Department directed federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to dismiss the pending charges against Mayor Adams without prejudice and restore his security clearance. Mayor Adams...more
In a 4-3 decision, the New York State Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of New York State’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG). The commission’s constitutionality had been challenged by...more
Social media has made it much easier to disseminate hurtful criticisms about teachers, principals, superintendents and even board of education members, and the good people of Nutmeg are no exception....more
Bricker Graydon invites our friends who serve public entities, employees, and officials to an Ohio Ethics Law update by Susan Willeke of the Ohio Ethics Commission. Coffee and breakfast will be provided for in-person...more
Previous posts have discussed the substantial uncertainty around the meaning of “corruptly,” a mens rea term used across a variety of federal criminal statutes in the areas of public corruption, financial regulation, and...more
Sometimes we hear that opposites attract, and such was the case between two members of the Nutmeg Board of Education. Board members Penny Pincher and Mal Content rarely see eye to eye on the challenges the Board faces, with...more
Almost all individuals who are running for public office in New Jersey in the upcoming general election have to file a report with the Election Law Enforcement Commission by Monday, October 7....more
A proposed constitutional amendment being considered by Mexico’s Congress would eliminate the country’s autonomous constitutional bodies – agencies originally created to make decisions without political influence and...more
Mediante la Ley No. 2427 del 9 de septiembre de 2024, el Congreso de Colombia dispuso la necesidad de fortalecer la formación en sostenibilidad ambiental, cambio climático y gestión del riesgo de desastres en todos los...more
Per recent updates to various sections of Ohio law, all employees and elected officials of public entities in Ohio are required to report alleged fraud, theft in office, or misuse or misappropriation of public money....more
In 2012 and 2013, while James Snyder was the mayor of Portage, Indiana, the city purchased garbage trucks from local trucking company Great Lakes Peterbilt for roughly $1.1 million....more
On June 26, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States released its opinion in Snyder v. United States, holding that 18 U.S.C. §666, relating to theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, forbids bribes...more
On June 26, 2024, the United States Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, held that 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B) (“§ 666”) does not prohibit gratuities made to state or local government officials for past official acts. Rather, the...more
In a pair of rulings issued near the end of the last Term, Fischer v. United States and Snyder v. United States, the Supreme Court continued to cut back on the Justice Department’s interpretation and enforcement of criminal...more