Supreme Court will not hear challenge to RI campaign finance law. Here's what we know - The Providence Journal
The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a Rhode Island conservative advocacy group's challenge to the state's campaign finance laws.
The Gaspee Project and national conservative legal groups appealed to the high court after two lower federal courts ruled against their 2019 lawsuit arguing Rhode Island's campaign finance disclosure laws are unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court denied Gaspee's appeal petition Monday, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and the Campaign Legal Center, which defended the state's campaign finance laws in the case.
“To reduce political corruption, we need real transparency about who is spending big money in elections and to that end, voters in Rhode Island have a right to know who is attempting to influence their votes,” Campaign Legal Center Senior Vice President Paul Smith said in a news release. “This denial of review from the Supreme Court of the United States means that vital right will remain in place and continue to enable Rhode Islanders to be well-informed before heading into the voting booth.”
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The 2019 lawsuit from Gaspee and the Illinois Opportunity Project sought to strike down Rhode Island's disclosure laws around "independent expenditures," spending to influence an election that is not coordinated with any campaign.
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Rhode Island requires independent expenditure groups to disclose all donors giving at least $1,000 and for the advertisements themselves to list the group responsible and top five largest donors.
The plaintiffs, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, argued that making donors identify themselves could subject them to criticism and harassment. They called for a judgment-free "safe space" for political contributions.
First U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy and then First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bruce Selya ruled against Gaspee.
Selya described some of the arguments in the lawsuit as "a Rumpelstiltskin-like effort to turn dross into gold."
On Monday, Neronha said state campaign finance laws are important for maintaining an informed electorate.
“Such information is critical to voters evaluating the messaging they are subjected to by those spending significant sums of money to influence their decisions," Neronha said in a news release. "An informed electorate is integral to our democracy, and the Court’s action sends a strong message in support of that principle.”
Columnist Mark Patinkin:Warmongering Providence Journal editor is part of a long line of RI rogues
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source: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2022/04/25/ri-election-campaign-finance-law-u-s-supreme-court-denies-conservative-gaspee-project-appeal/7441194001/
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