Ohio Right to Life has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions of Ohio law purporting to regulate issue advoacy. Many states have electioneering communications-type laws containing black-out dates and substantial reporting obligations. Ohio Right to Life is represented by a law firm and the Center for Competitive Politics.
Washington Disclosure Challenged
A group called Human Life of Washington has filed suit to challenge Washington laws purporting to require disclosure of certain issue advocacy activity.
In a recently filed federal lawsuit, Human Life of Washington argued that it shouldn’t have to register with the state as a political action committee, because it wants to sponsor ads about the issue of assisted suicide — not ones explicitly about Initiative 1000.
The group says its free speech rights are being violated by a state law that requires political action committees to register and disclose their donors.
Initiative 1000, which mirrors a 1997 Oregon law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, would allow terminally ill people to obtain lethal prescription drugs for ending their own lives.
Independent Expenditures Under Scrutiny in California
California is mulling new disclosure requirements for independent expenditures.
“The emergence of independent expenditures has thwarted the will of the people, dramatically undermined California’s campaign finance laws and doubtlessly influenced the outcome of numerous statewide and legislative elections,” the 66-page study concluded.
The agency proposed banning independent expenditure campaigns unless the names of the treasurer and principal officers of the campaign committees, and their economic interests, are disclosed.
The report is online (2 MB file).