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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee was founded in 1951 by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen. AIPAC's mission is to empower pro-Israel activists, promoting the U.S.-Israel relationship with members of both political parties in Congress.

Created in 1975, the Federal Election Commission administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC include disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing the provisions of law, and overseeing the public funding of presidential elections. FEC litigation focuses primarily on multiple court cases that involved the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The focal case was James Akins vs. FEC, in which registered voters questioned if AIPAC was a political committee subject to regulations and reporting requirements enforced by the Federal Election Campaign Act. The regulation in question was spending thresholds, which AIPAC had crossed. Ultimately, the FEC ruled that AIPAC had crossed spending thresholds, but was not required to adhere to reporting because it was an issue-oriented organization rather than campaign-related.