February 22, 2019 •
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Montana Case
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear a case challenging the state’s Disclose Act, leaving in place a lower court ruling of constitutionality. The Disclose Act requires more heightened reporting by groups seeking to influence […]
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear a case challenging the state’s Disclose Act, leaving in place a lower court ruling of constitutionality.
The Disclose Act requires more heightened reporting by groups seeking to influence elections, commonly referred to as dark-money groups.
The campaign disclosure act, challenged by Montanans for Community Development on first amendment grounds, has been an important policy for Gov. Steve Bullock and his administration.
This comes at a time when the Montana House of Representatives is considering House Resolution 2, a bipartisan resolution urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.
May 24, 2018 •
Court Upholds Montana’s Dark Money Disclosure Laws
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Montana’s campaign spending disclosure laws this week. The three-judge panel ruled the law is not unconstitutionally vague and requiring groups spending money on electioneering communications to report their donors is proper. The […]
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Montana’s campaign spending disclosure laws this week.
The three-judge panel ruled the law is not unconstitutionally vague and requiring groups spending money on electioneering communications to report their donors is proper.
The law, proposed by Gov. Steve Bullock and passed by the Legislature in 2015, still has wide bipartisan support.
Montanans for Community Development, the group challenging the disclosure laws, asserted the requirements were vague and overly broad, giving too much enforcement discretion to the commissioner of political practices. They also argued being required to file electronic campaign reports may be unconstitutional, a point the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals called absurd.
The current commissioner, Jeff Mangan, said he and his office are pleased with the ruling.
October 27, 2014 •
Montana’s Campaign Finance Laws Remain Intact After Legal Challenge
On October 22, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen upheld the Montana’s campaign finance law. Montanans for Community Development (MCD), a nonprofit organization, had brought the lawsuit challenging the law’s requirement to have the organization report its financial supporters. According to […]
On October 22, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen upheld the Montana’s campaign finance law. Montanans for Community Development (MCD), a nonprofit organization, had brought the lawsuit challenging the law’s requirement to have the organization report its financial supporters.
According to Missoulian.com, MCD wanted to circulate political advertisements without disclosing the identity of its donors. Disagreeing with MCD’s argument, the court found the statutes were not too vague to be constitutionally valid. MCD’s legal representation included James Bopp, a frequent challenger of campaign finance laws.
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