Stranahan National Issues Forum
Public Corruption or Criminalizing Politics: Democracy, Campaign Donations, and the First Amendment
Tuesday, March 18 | Noon-1 p.m.
Law Center, McQuade Law Auditorium
Caleb Burns & PG Sittenfeld
Just as elected officials cannot accept bribes, neither should lawful political donations be prosecuted as public corruption offenses. Wiley Rein partner Caleb Burns, and former Cincinnati elected official P.G. Sittenfeld will join UT Law Professor Greg Gilchrist to discuss the far-reaching consequences for American democracy of USA v. Sittenfeld. The conversation will explore the need to protect constitutionally safeguarded political discourse necessary to our representative government and our privately funded campaign finance system. This Stranahan Lecture will also give a glimpse into the very real, personal, and human impact of efforts to criminalize politics.
A graduate of Duke University and NYU School of Law, Caleb has been a partner with
Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, D.C., for sixteen years and a member of the firm's management
committee for the last six years. His practice focuses on advising participants in
the political process on compliance with all aspects of law. He also represents clients
subject to these laws in matters before the Federal Election Commission (FEC), other
federal and state administrative agencies, and in federal and state courts.
Caleb is a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Election Law, is a faculty member of the Practicing Law Institute, and regularly appears and is quoted on political law topics in the media.
P.G. Sittenfeld was Inmate Number 18085-509 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky for four and a half months in 2024 before the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered his early release pending appeal. United States vs. Sittenfeld was upheld in a 2-1 split decision at the circuit court level, where - in an unusual occurrence - all three panel judges expressed concern about the constitutionality and fairness of the present state of the law and invited further review from the U.S. Supreme Court. Sittenfeld will be bringing a forthcoming cert petition. In response to Sittenfeld’s prosecution, a nearly unprecedented bi-partisan group — including individuals who served as United States Attorney General; White House Counsel; United States Senator; Governor; Member of Congress; U.S. Attorney; and State Attorney General — submitted amicus briefs to the Court in support of Sittenfeld’s innocence.
Prior to his prosecution, Sittenfeld served for nearly a decade on Cincinnati’s City Council, where he became the city’s highest vote-getter through a record of fostering growth and innovation as well as supporting the community’s most marginalized members. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Oxford University in England, where he was a Marshall Scholar.
About the lecture
This free, public lecture is part of the Stranahan National Issues Forum and is sponsored by The University of Toledo College of Law and the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership. For a list of guest speakers and lecture videos from previous years, please visit our past speakers page. To view photos from last year's lecture, visit our Flickr album. Food and drink will be provided.
Parking
McQuade Law Auditorium is on the main level of the Law Center — located at 1825 West Rocket Drive, immediately inside the UToledo West Entrance off of Secor Road and south of Bancroft Street. Free guest parking is available for this event, but only in designated spaces within Parking Area 12W. Look for the cones and parking attendant for the designated area. Metered parking is also available within marked spaces facing the Center for Performing Arts. Metered rates can be found at the payment kiosk or the ParkUToledo website.