Ninth Circuit Upholds Campaign Funds and Ad Disclosures (1)

A panel of federal judges on Friday upheld state requirements for campaign finance disclosures and political-ads, checking opponents of an aggressive ballot measure regulating political speech in Alaska.

The divided panel of judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit blocked preliminary challenges to the state’s 2020 ballot measure that mandates campaign donation disclosures to state regulators and stipulates extensive disclaimers appear on political advertisements. These burdens placed on core political speech pass the US Constitution’s exacting scrutiny test because “sunlight,” the majority opinion said, is “the best of disinfectants.”

“This appeal presents questions central to our ...