Are Minnesota Corporations On Brink Of Winning Right To Secretly Campaign?

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/hot-news-views/are-minnesota-corporations-brink-winning-right-secretly-campaign

The right of corporations to spend money in campaigns—resurrected under the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling—may have been given a boost last week when a federal appeals court ruled in an ongoing suit that Minnesota corporations could independently spend money in campaigns without submitting ongoing campaign spending reports to state officials.

In contrast, on Monday in another federal appeals court, the Seventh Circuit handling Illinois, that state’s campaign disclosure law was upheld in a similar suit—foreclosing the prospect of unreported corporate electioneering in 2012 and beyond. (Each federal appeals court has the final say in its region until the U.S. Supreme Court steps in.)

The big question in Minnesota, where the appeals court remanded the case to District Court, is how far will the district court go in its soon-to-be-issued injunction allowing corporations to independently spend money without having to disclose that spending to Minnesota campaign finance regulators.

Gary Goldsmith, Executive Director of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, said he is awaiting that injunction—but hopes that it will only pertain to existing groups that are not active in the 2012 campaign. But some liberal reform advocates are wary, because they know the right-wing attorneys who have sued the state want to create a pathway for secretive corporate campaigning—like in 2012's presidential race.

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Thanks again to TSC for all their help. n/t