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March 12, 2010                                                                                             

CONTACT: Press Office

202-863-8614

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele announced today that the RNC would be retaining renowned Supreme Court lawyer Theodore B. Olson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to represent the RNC in a campaign finance case when it reaches the United States Supreme Court.

“I am thrilled that Ted Olson will be joining our team,” Steele said today.  “Ted is second to none when it comes to winning important cases in the Supreme Court, and I am bringing him on board because I am fully committed to restoring our constitutional rights and leveling the political playing field.  We refuse to take a back seat to the likes of George Soros, MoveOn.org, Hollywood, and big labor.”

The case, Republican National Committee vs. Federal Election Committee, is a constitutional challenge to the complete prohibition on national party committees’ raising and spending of funds outside the narrow and highly restrictive federal limits.   A special three-judge panel of a Washington, DC federal court is currently considering the case, and a decision could come as soon as this month.  It is expected that the losing party will appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the RNC and Chairman Michael Steele in this tremendously important case,” Olson said.  “I look forward to working with Chairman Steele and his team as we work to restore the First Amendment rights and proper role of political parties in our democracy.”

Olson, a longtime influential conservative, is widely regarded as one of the most effective Supreme Court advocates in the nation.  A former high-ranking attorney in the Reagan administration and solicitor general in the George W. Bush administration, he has argued 56 cases before the Supreme Court.  Earlier this year, he won Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a campaign finance ruling that invalidated the ban on independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions and trade associations.

The California Republican Party, the Republican Party of San Diego, and Michael Steele are also plaintiffs in the case and also will be represented by Olson.