Constitutional Law

High court turns away campaign-finance disclosure case

By By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is passing up an election-eve chance to weigh in on campaign-finance disclosure rules for groups that raise and spend money independently of candidates.

The justices today rejected an appeal from the conservative group SpeechNow.org, which is trying to limit what it has to tell the Federal Election Commission about its activities.

The Court's action a day before the 2010 midterm elections leaves in place a March decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that struck down limits on contributions to SpeechNow and similar independent groups, but upheld disclosure requirements.

Outside groups have so far spent more than $264 million, more than four times as much as they did four years ago.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on October 31, 2010 (boomark / email).