Judge Says Illinois Campaign Finance Law Constitutional
ICPR Senior Advisor David Melton was quoted in this article
via Fox 32 News
“CHICAGO (AP) – Current Illinois law that limits how much political action committees, or PACs, can contribute to candidates, but permits political parties and their legislative leadership to contribute as much as they want, is constitutional and can remain on the books, a federal judge in Chicago ruled Wednesday.
The Illinois Liberty PAC, Republican state Sen. Kyle McCarter and PAC contributor Edgar Bachrach brought the lawsuit, arguing that letting political parties give to campaigns without limits while restricting what PACs and individuals can give violates their rights to free speech and equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.
State legislators adopted the 2009 campaign finance law amid calls for anti-corruption reforms after then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest in 2008 and his subsequent impeachment. The Chicago Democrat is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Colorado for convictions that included trying to trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat for campaign money.”
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