Interest Groups

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Siana

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    • Policy groups
    • to influence a whole area of policy, e.g. League of Conservative Voters (LCV), American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
    • Professional groups - to represent economic interests, e.g. American Medical Association (AMA), American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Relations (AFL-CIO)
    • Single-interest groups - to advocate policy surrounding a limited, specific issue, e.g. National Rifle Association (NFA), National Farmers Union (NFU), Teamsters (truck drivers), National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black Lives Matter (BLM), Friends of the Earth, Faith2Action, Americans United for Life
    • Total federal lobbying revenue in 2023 amounted to $5.6 billion (Open Secrets, 2024), which includes only that income which must be disclosed under federal law.
  • Elections
    • After gaining the right to donate from Citizens United v. FEC (2010), interest groups fund Super PACs with hidden money for election finance, e.g. Make America Great Again Inc., and advertise to support candidates or attack political rivals
    • Significance on the Legislature
    • Pro-LGBTQ+ interest groups exert support and influence over the legislation of same-sex marriage (and interracial marriage) by lobbying congresspeople like Sen. Susan Collins to reintroduce the Respect for Marriage Bill 2022, according to the overturn of Roe v. Wade (1973) by Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) and the statement made by SCOTUS judge Clarence Thomas about revising the verdict of Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).
    • Significance on the Judiciary
    • Amicus curiae (friend of the court)
    • Significance on the State and Local Access Points
    • Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) started from the state court with the influence of Pro-life interest groups lobbying through amicus curiae.
    • Don’t Say Gay Act 2022 is legislated as a Florida state law which states that homosexuality is not mentioned and discussed in public schools. This can be seen as the effort of lobbying state legislators by religious interest groups and anti-LGBTQ+ interest groups.