Supreme Court Rejects Campaign Finance Appeal

(CN) - The Supreme Court on Monday refused to weigh in on federal campaign finance disclosure rules the day before midterm elections.

The high court rejected the appeal of SpeechNow.org, which challenged a D.C. Circuit ruling upholding disclosure requirements for the money it raises and spends independently of candidates.

The justices' decision not to hear the case leaves intact the federal appeals court's ruling, which tossed contribution limits for SpeechNow and similar independent groups, but upheld disclosure requirements governing political committees.

"We must conclude that the government has no anti-corruption interest in limiting contributions to an independent expenditure group such as SpeechNow," Chief Judge David Sentelle wrote for the unanimous nine-judge panel in Washington, D.C.

But the court backed federal disclosure rules, finding "no constitutional infirmity in the application of the organizational, administrative, and reporting requirements."

"Requiring disclosure of such information deters and helps expose violations of other campaign finance restrictions, such as those barring contributions from foreign corporations or individuals," Sentelle wrote.

The Obama administration had urged the Supreme Court to reject SpeechNow's appeal and leave the D.C. Circuit ruling intact.

The high court on Monday turned down the case without comment.

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