Cozen O’Connor Member Adam C. Bonin Participates in Panel Discussion at “Money in Politics 2009: New Horizons for Reform”
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Monday, May 11, 2009 - Cozen O’Connor member Adam C. Bonin recently participated in a panel discussion on Internet and campaign finance at the “Money in Politics 2009: New Horizons for Reform” conference. Hosted by the National Press Club and sponsored by Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the one-day program brought together leading experts on campaign finance, preeminent governmental and campaign officials, and advocates to assess new ideas and map out new directions in campaign finance.Joined by moderator Micah Sifry (Personal Democracy Forum) and Lawrence Lessig (Change Congress, Harvard Law School), Bonin’s session focused on how a legal framework premised on distinctions between print and broadcast media has struggled to keep up with advances in new media. The conversation explored areas including new applications of campaign finance principles in the age of Internet fundraising, social networking and digital dissemination of information, and how and whether to regulate novel media forms in light of the impact of money in politics.
Bonin has represented local and federal candidates/political committees on election law/campaign finance issues, and has been extensively involved in efforts on behalf of the rights of online speakers. In March 2006, he achieved a major victory before the Federal Election Commission on behalf of leading political bloggers, securing significant new rights for speakers on the Internet to engage in online political speech and advocacy.
In addition to currently serving as board chair of Netroots Nation – an organization dedicated to promoting the use of technology to influence public debate – Bonin sits on the board of advisors for the legal journal The Green Bag.
Bonin earned his undergraduate degree (B.A., magna cum laude, 1994) from Amherst College and his law degree (J.D., 1997) from The University of Chicago Law School, where he served as comment editor of The University of Chicago Legal Forum and as an editor of The Law School Phoenix. While in law school, he was also a student attorney at the Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.