Defeat for NOM As Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Campaign Finance Case
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal brought by the National Organization for Marriage in a case regarding Maine’s campaign finance laws.
The case had been petitioned to the high court after a U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled in January that Maine’s campaign finance laws apply to the anti-gay nonprofit organization as well.
NOM had funneled resources into the state in an effort to petition the state Legislature’s passage of marriage equality legislation to referendum.
According to the Associated Press, Maine’s campaign disclosure law requires groups that spend more than $5,000 during an election to reveal their donors. NOM donated more than $1.9 million to overturn marriage equality legislation in Maine.
NOM had argued that donor disclosure requirements imposed on political committees advocating for a candidates for office should not be applied to nonprofit organizations advocating for ballot initiatives. Moreover, they argued that Maine’s $100 reporting threshold was so low that disclosing such information would have no impact.
The Supreme Court’s decision to deny a hearing on the case means the First Circuit’s decision against NOM stands and Maine’s campaign finance laws will continue to apply to nonprofits and ballot measures.
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