Ruling allows contributions to activist groups for campaigns

[bemildred]

Source: Wapo

A federal appeals court on Friday handed another victory to conservative opponents of campaign-finance restrictions, striking down limits on individual contributions to advocacy groups that want to use the money for or against candidates in federal elections.

But in a unanimous decision, the nine-judge U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia also ruled that a conservative group called SpeechNow.org must disclose its donors and other details of its finances to the Federal Election Commission, a requirement the group had sought to loosen.

The case was one of the first to be decided after Citizens United v. FEC, a Supreme Court ruling two months ago. That ruling found that corporations are akin to individuals when it comes to political speech and aretherefore free to spend as much company money as they like for or against candidates. The appeals court found that a similar rationale applies to independent political groups such as SpeechNow.

The decision did little to end the uncertainty surrounding the patchwork system of federal campaign restrictions first put in place during the Watergate era and strengthened by the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act and other statutes. In a separate decision issued Friday, for example, a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a bid by the Republican National Committee to raise unlimited contributions from corporations and individuals, setting the stage for further litigation.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032604375.html

[aquart]

1. FIX THIS MESS.

I am sick of it. I am sick of my legislator spending half his day fundraising.

[truedelphi]

2. Half the day raising the money, the other half of the day

Ensuring their votes do as the money asks them to do.


YEESH!

[bemildred]

3. Well, I think the point is that this attacks the two-party system.

Anybody with money can jump in now. When you combine that with the fact that one can say anything at all in political advertising, it's a situation potent with "change".

[OnyxCollie]

4. K&R. nt

[Omaha Steve]

5. Is it proper...

To go after those that oppose us? :-)

[bemildred]

6. Why yes, yes I believe it is.

Not only that, one can predict that there will be a large increase in the number of organizations willing to help you spend money on political advocacy, most of them much more tightly focussed than the old fuddy-duddy do-nothing political parties.

[crikkett]

7. Growth industry. n/t