Litigation

Political Disclosure Upheld in Rhode Island

By Peter Hardin

It isn’t always easy for Gavel Grab to stay on top of litigation filed by Indiana-based lawyer James Bopp in states across America.

So Gavel Grab will use the occasion of a Providence Journal article about Bopp to update readers on the status of litigation that Bopp brought there in  September on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage.

The lawsuit sought permission for the group to spend heavily on TV and radio ads in favor of and against candidates for governor legislature without having to comply with Rhode Island contribution limits and disclosure requirements.

According to the story about Bopp, a federal judge ruled in October that the group could air political advertising but is required to report its spending.

The group has gone to court with similar litigation in other states, inspired in part by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision that lifted key restraints on corporate spending in elections.

The National Organization for Marriage has appealed the October decision in Rhode Island to the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

You can keep track of the wins and losses by Bopp, who frequently challenges campaign finance regulation, by clicking here for Gavel Grab posts, and you can learn more about the Rhode Island litigation by clicking here.

Full post as published by The Gavel on November 22, 2010 (boomark / email).