A campaign finance expert and a former elected official appealing convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court will explore the fine line between legal donations and illegal bribes during The University of Toledo College of Law’s Stranahan Lecture.
“Public Corruption or Criminalizing Politics: Democracy, Campaign Donations and the First Amendment” will feature Caleb Burns, who advises political clients on all aspects of the law, including campaign finance, government ethics and lobbying, as a partner at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, D.C., and P.G. Sittenfeld, who served nearly a decade on the Cincinnati City Council before a conviction on charges of bribery and attempted extortion by a government official landed him in federal prison in 2024.
P.G. Sittenfeld and Caleb Burns.
The free, public lecture begins at noon on Tuesday, March 18, in the McQuade Law Auditorium. Complimentary food and drinks will be provided.
Visitor parking is free only in designated spots in Area 12W.
“Every day people give money to candidates because they support a specific action the candidate promises to take if elected, but sometimes contributing money to a candidate based on a promise to act crosses the line into illegal bribery. This line between constitutionally protected campaign finance and criminality is blurry at best,” said Gregory Gilchrist, a UToledo law professor. “We’re excited to welcome renowned campaign finance expert, Caleb Burns, who will explore the challenges posed by this lack of clarity and to argue for reform. We’re also incredibly fortunate to be joined by P.G. Sittenfeld, who will share, in a very real and personal way, the impact these issues have had on his life.”
Gilchrist will facilitate the conversation with Burns and Sittenfeld, which will include exploring the far-reaching consequences of United States v. Sittenfeld. The former councilman was accused of accepting bribes in exchange for favorable votes on developmental deals in a case that drew significant attention in part for the questions it raised on the parameters of political discourse safeguarded by the U.S. Constitution.
This attention included amicus briefs from a nearly unprecedented bipartisan group of 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.
Burns was retained as an expert witness by Sittenfeld’s trial team.
The Stranahan Lecture is part of the Stranahan National Issues Forum, sponsored by UToledo College of Law and the UToledo Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership.
For more information, go to the Stranahan National Issues Forum website.
