Today, our firm filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on behalf of Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund, Real Campaign Reform.org, Inc., Citizens United, Citizens United Political Victory Fund, Carla Howell, Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, and Michael Cloud, Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.
This lawsuit charges that both the new Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) violate the First Amendment protection of Freedom of the Press today. Other lawsuits filed after President Bush signed the BCRA in March challenged the new law on grounds that it violates the First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. But today’s suit is the first to argue that BCRA violates Freedom of the Press, which the complaint says “belongs to the American people,” and not just to the institutional corporate press, such as The Washington Post or CNN.
A Gun Owners of America press release is available, New and Existing Campaign Finance Laws Violate Freedom Of The Press — Lawsuit Filed Today Is Fundamental Challenge To Election Laws. More information about the lawsuit is available at realcampaignreform.org.