Litigation

Surprising Allies Challenge WI Disclosure Rule

By Peter Hardin

New rules requiring corporations and labor unions to disclose their political spending in Wisconsin have come under a legal challenge from surprising allies that rarely share ideology.

One Wisconsin Now, a liberal group, and Wisconsin Club for Growth, a conservative one, filed a lawsuit challenging a rule passed by the Government Accountability Board (see Gavel Grab). According to an Associated Press article, the rule requires groups, when airing so-called issue ads, to disclose both the expenditure and the source of their funds.

Issue ads typically typically are intended to elect an individual candidate, without directly asking voters to do so.

The lawsuit contends the rule infringes First Amendment free-speech rights. It asks an injunction against a new regulation that has just taken effect.

Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign criticized the lawsuit in a statement:

?What we have here are two groups ? one Democratic and the other Republican ? carrying water for wealthy interests that don?t want anyone to interfere in any way with them buying politicians and owning our government. And they will go to any lengths to crush any attempt to stop them or even slow them down.”

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a partner of Justice at Stake.

Full post as published by The Gavel on August 02, 2010 (boomark / email).