Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy quoted in Politico examination of Jerry Falwell
‘Someone’s gotta tell the freakin’ truth: Jerry Falwell’s aides break their silence
More than two dozen current and former Liberty University officials describe a culture of fear and self-dealing at the largest Christian college in the world.
By Brandon Ambrosino
Politico
Sept. 9, 2019
Excerpt
“A 501(c)(3) organization trying to influence a poll so that a candidate’s fortunes are promoted or demoted is not permitted,” said Eve Borenstein, an attorney and tax expert known as the “Queen of the 990,” a moniker used to introduce her ahead of congressional testimony she gave about the IRS Form 990 in 2012.
While 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to “do objective analysis of [an] electoral horse race,” said Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor at Stetson University College of Law, “tweeting out a rigged poll if Liberty knew it was rigged probably does not fall into that safe harbor.”
And later in the article, Professor Torres-Spelliscy was quoted:
Still, Falwell’s actions here are “likely fine,” said Torres-Spelliscy, the law professor at Stetson University. “Many schools try to cancel classes or hold no classes on Election Day to encourage students to vote or be poll workers or engage in election protection activities. Though the IRS might consider Falwell’s stated partisan motivation if the IRS investigated Liberty to challenge its 501(c)(3) status, this type of investigation is highly unlikely.”
This article was originally published on the Politico website on Sept. 9, 2019, with the headline, “Someone’s gotta tell the freakin’ truth: Jerry Falwell’s aides break their silence.”
Post date: Sept. 9, 2019
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