The Wisconsin Eastern District Court ruled Friday to delay a case challenging the campaign finance regulations, allowing the Wisconsin Supreme Court to make a decision on the issue.
Wisconsin Right to Life, a prominent statewide anti-abortion organization, filed suit in August against the Government Accountability Board and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm over GAB rule 1.28.
In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in January lifting restrictions on corporate spending in campaigns, the GAB created rule 1.28 to require corporate interests to show greater transparency by registering as political committees and reporting spending and fundraising.
WRTL claimed in its suit that GAB 1.28 violates its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. A similar suit filed by Wisconsin Prosperity Network, a non-profit corporate advocate for deregulation, is pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
""Whether § 1.28 is deemed enforceable under Wisconsin law is at the epicenter of this declaratory judgment action and, if possible, this court should defer to the state's highest court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court,"" Judge Charles Clevert said in his decision.
—Ariel Shapiro
