Trevor Potter

Trevor Alexander McClurg Potter (born October 24, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the former commissioner and chairman of the United States Federal Election Commission. He is the founder and president of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization which works for redistricting, ethics, campaign finance and voting and elections. A Republican, he was the general counsel to John McCain's two presidential campaigns. 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's government experience also includes service as assistant general counsel of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FEC) (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. In 2002, Potter co-founded Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. The organization has been 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 Reports 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."

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. He serves as the Senior Advisor to Issue One.

Works Anthony Corrado (Editor), Thomas E. Mann (Editor), Daniel R. Ortiz (Editor), Trevor Potter (Editor), Frank J. Sorauf (Editor), Campaign Finance Reform: A Sourcebook, Brookings Institution Press (1997), Anthony Corrado (Editor), Thomas E. Mann (Editor), Trevor Potter (Editor), Inside the Campaign Finance Battle: Court Testimony on the New Reforms, Brookings Institution Press (2003), Anthony Corrado, Thomas E. Mann, Daniel R. Ortiz, Trevor Potter, The New Campaign Finance Sourcebook, Brookings Institution Press (2005), Trevor Potter, Political Activity, Lobbying Laws and Gift Rules Guide, Thomson West (2008), Joseph Birkenstock, Trevor Potter, Political Activity, Lobbying Laws and Gift Rules Guide, 2009-2010 ed., LegalWorks (2009), Joseph Birkenstock, Trevor Potter, Political Activity, Lobbying Laws and Gift Rules Guide, 2010-2011 ed., LegalWorks (2010), Joseph Birkenstock, Trevor Potter, Political Activity, Lobbying Laws and Gift Rules Guide, 3d, 2011-2012 ed., LegalWorks (2011),