On February 1, the FEC defended its plan of not issuing a ruling on 527 organizations. In response, Representatives Shays (R-Conn.) and Meehan (D-Mass.) have filed court papers expressing their plans to insist that a federal judge order the FEC to write rules for 527s. The FEC will respond in a February 16 court filing. The lawyers for Shays and Meehan are seeking a schedule to conclude by Mid-May, but the FEC is looking towards mid-July. Given the urgency of the 2008 presidential campaign, groups continue to face legal questions, which a ruling would help subside. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$): The FEC has said that an "explanation and justification" of its handling of Section 527 groups released Jan. 31 should satisfy an order handed down by Sullivan last March and end the litigation with Shays and Meehan. Sullivan had ordered the FEC either to write a new rule regulating 527s or better explain why it has not done so. The latest FEC document cited regulations adopted by the commission in late 2004 that govern when an organization becomes an FEC-regulated "political committee." The FEC also pointed to several recent enforcement cases in which a half-dozen organizations were cited for violating the FEC rules governing political committees.