Federal judge backs Montana on campaign regulations

A federal judge in Missoula recently upheld Montana laws requiring political committees to disclose their campaign spending.

U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen on Sept. 17 sided with the Montana Attorney General’s Office by dismissing a case brought last year by the National Association of Gun Rights, a group that promotes the “God-given right” to keep and bear arms.

The Virginia-based nonprofit organization had wanted to spend about $20,000 to send mailers criticizing gubernatorial candidate Steve Bullock’s record on gun rights without registering as a political committee with the office of the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. Bullock won the election and is now governor of Montana.

The group, which says it plans to send mailers during the 2014 and 2016 elections, claimed the requirement to file paperwork was an unconstitutional restriction of free speech and was overly broad.

Christensen, however, wrote in his decision that the public’s right to know who is financing political campaigns vastly outweighs the minimal burden imposed on political committees to report the required information.

“It goes without saying that Montana voters are interested in who is financing political campaigns,” Christensen said. “The reporting and disclosure requirements for incidental committees are necessary for defendants to regulate groups and candidates’ compliance with Montana’s election laws.”

This is one of several court cases challenging the state’s campaign regulations. A federal appeals court is reviewing claims that Montana’s limits on campaign contributions are unconstitutional, and a Montana district court judge is considering the state’s request to fine American Tradition Partnership more than $300,000 in fines for failing to abide with Montana’s campaign finance regulations.