California City’s Campaign Finance Limits Struck Down on Appeal

The City of Oxnard, Calif.'s 2020 campaign finance limitations violate the First Amendment because the provisions—which appear to target a political outsider—aren’t narrowly tailored to further a legitimate government interest, the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday.

Such limits are allowed when they are are “closely drawn” to advance the legitimate government interest of preventing the appearance of corruption, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said.

In this case, however, there was evidence that Oxnard’s limitations take aim at Aaron Starr, the president of plaintiff nonprofit Moving Oxnard Forward Inc. Starr had orchestrated an unsuccessful recall effort against a ...