Trevor Potter

Trevor Potter
Born (1955-10-24) October 24, 1955 (age 71)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
OccupationLawyer
Years active1982–present
Political party
Republican

Trevor Alexander McClurg Potter (born October 24, 1955) is an American election lawyer who served as a commissioner and chairman of the United States Federal Election Commission (FEC). He was nominated as a Republican to the FEC by President George H.W. Bush and confirmed in 1991, serving until 1995. Potter is the founder and president of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization focused on voting rights, elections, campaign finance, redistricting, ethics and the rule of law. Potter is a vocal critic of unlimited corporate spending and dark money in politics allowed by the Supreme Court of the United States' Citizens United v. FEC ruling.

He has been described by the American Bar Association Journal as "hands-down one of the top lawyers in the country on the delicate intersection of politics, law and money".

Early life and education

Potter attended Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1978, and his Juris Doctor from University of Virginia School of Law in 1982.

Career

Potter giving testimony at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee in March 1994

Potter's government experience includes service as assistant general counsel of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [clarification needed] (1984–1985) and attorney with the United States Department of Justice (1982–1984). He served as General Counsel to the 2000 and 2008 Presidential campaigns of John McCain and Deputy General Counsel to the George H. W. Bush 1988 campaign.

Potter was an advisor to the drafters of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). In 2002, Potter co-founded Campaign Legal Center for the purpose of providing independent oversight of BCRA's implementation and defending the law from legal challenges. Campaign Legal Center's mission has since expanded to encompass additional issue areas, but it continues to be at the forefront of legal battles to enforce campaign finance laws and disclosure requirements.

Potter gained national attention for his legal guidance to comedian Stephen Colbert during the creation of the "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" Super-PAC in 2011. Through humor and satire, Colbert and Potter highlighted the issues surrounding Super PACs and the role of money in politics. The Colbert Report's segments on "Super PACs" were recognized in 2011 with a Peabody Award for parody reporting as an "innovative means of teaching American viewers about the landmark court decision". Reflecting on the experience in 2015, Potter said, "I was his lawyer for the venture, which meant I did everything from drafting a Federal Election Commission Advisory Opinion Request to accompanying Colbert to hearings. I even figured out how to make the money "disappear" from public view when the PAC was closing. (Hint: It's not that hard.) ... The final takeaway from my work with Colbert was a sense of the enormous and detrimental impact Citizens United has had on our campaigns and elections." Speaking in 2014, Potter said:

[Colbert] was able to show America the loopholes (or "loop-chasms" as he called them) in the laws designed to regulate coordination between candidates and supposedly "independent" groups. By having his own Super PAC and 501(c)(4), Stephen could evolve right alongside the campaigns—or often be a step ahead of them. His understanding of the possibilities inherent in the legal confusion was keen enough to discover and exploit absurd legalities before it became clear that actual candidates and political activists were doing the same thing.

Potter at Tulane University in February 2018

Potter was elected to the American Law Institute in 2013 and serves as an Adviser on ALI's Principles of Election Law: Resolution of Election Disputes project.

Works

See also

References

  1. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin; McAllister, Bill (1997-02-12). "THE LITTLE AGENCY THAT CAN'T". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ "Campaign Legal Center". Campaign Legal Center.
  3. 1 2 Potter, Trevor (January 21, 2015). "Here's what I learned when I helped Stephen Colbert set up his Super PAC". Washington Post.
  4. ↑ Journal, A. B. A. "The Lawyers Who May Run America". ABA Journal.
  5. ↑ "Trevor Alexander Mcclurg Potter Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com.
  6. ↑ "Trevor Potter Bio | Politico.com". Politico. January 24, 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009.
  7. ↑ "Campaign Legal Center's Trevor Potter '82 To Speak at Ele(Q)t Project Symposium | University of Virginia School of Law". www.law.virginia.edu. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. ↑ "Trevor Potter". Campaign Legal Center. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  9. ↑ "The Colbert Report—Super PAC Segments". www.peabodyawards.com.
  10. ↑ Potter, Trevor (16 December 2014). "How Stephen Colbert Schooled Americans in Campaign Finance". Time. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "American Law Institute quarterly newsletter - Q&A with Trevor Potter - Winter 2014". Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Principles of Election Law - The American Law Institute - List of Project Participants". Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.