October 22, 2012 •
AZ County Court Rules Some Campaign Finance Laws Unconstitutional, But SOS Says Reporting Still Required
Certain Arizona statutes requiring registration and reporting by political committees are unconstitutional, according to a ruling made by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Crane McClennen on October 10, 2012. Presently, however, reporting is still required, according to the Secretary of State.
The Secretary’s office e-mailed registered political committees the following: “By way of gentle reminder, the recent trial court decision in ‘Committee for Justice and Fairness v. the Secretary of State’ does NOT affect the requirements to file campaign finance reports.”
In deciding whether a television advertisement made by the Committee for Justice & Fairness (CJF) was “express advocacy” or issue-oriented speech, and therefore requiring registration and reporting by CJF as a political committee, the county court found, “A.R.S. §§16–901, –901.01, –902.01, –913, and related statutes are unconstitutional.”
The Secretary of State will appeal the ruling, according the Verde Independent.
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