Campaign Finance & Election
Campaigns should be open and free, not prone to manipulation through government financing schemes. And now the U.S. Supreme Court agrees.
The Goldwater Institute's Nick Dranias appeared live on Fox Business News' Freedom Watch to talk about the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the matching funds provision of Arizona's Clean Elections law.
The Goldwater Institute's Darcy Olsen joined KVOI's Bill Buckmaster to talk about Goldwater's Supreme Court victory in the Clean Elections case, and a number of other Goldwater Institute issues.
The Goldwater Institute's Nick Dranias appeared on the Legal Broadcast Network to talk about the U.S. Supreme Court declaring the matching funds provision of Arizona's Clean Elections law unconstitutional.
This morning, Chief Justice John Roberts issued his opinion on behalf of a 5–4 majority in Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett, Nos. 10-238 and 10-239. You may have heard the case called “McComish,” after the plaintiff now listed second in consolidated court filings.
The Supreme Court struck down the matching-funds provisions in the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Act. (Campaign “reformers” learned long ago not to call such statutes the “Taxpayer Subsidies to Candidates Act.”)
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow, but not a fatal one, to public campaign financing, with a 5-4 decision striking down a central provision of an Arizona law.
The Arizona law offers public funds to state legislative and executive-branch candidates who abide by tight contribution and spending limits. Another provision gives additional dollars when publicly funded candidates face big-spending opponents or outside money groups — and that's what was rejected by Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority.
PHOENIX — Today, in a 5 to 4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision striking down the matching funds provisions of Arizona’s taxpayer-funded campaign finance system known as Clean Elections.
In April 2011, the Arizona Legislature passed SCR1025 which allows voters to decide on a constitutional amendment that would ban taxpayer money to fund political campaigns. A month later, the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation and several other organizations filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep the referendum from being placed on the ballot or to narrow its application if passed. The Goldwater Institute—believing the Legislature has a right to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot and citizens have a right to decide them—has intervened on behalf of "No Taxpayer Money for Politicians," a ballot measure committee that was formed for the purpose of advocating for a 'yes' vote on the referendum.
The Goldwater Institute had many legislative successes in the 2011 session. Vice president of external affairs, Starlee Rhoades, joined Arizona Illustrated to talk about them.
- Read more about School District Agrees Not to Spend Leftover Bond Money Until Judge Decides Legality
PHOENIX—The Goldwater Institute is pleased to announce that the Cave Creek Unified School District has agreed to stop spending bond money on projects voters did not approve until a judge can decide if spending the money is legal. Both the Goldwater Institute and CCUSD signed an agreement that will expedite a ruling in this legal challenge.
“Like us, the School District wants to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible, and signing this agreement helps speed up the process,” said Christina Kohn, the Goldwater Institute’s lead attorney on the case.
Goldwater Institute attorney Nick Dranias appeared on KFYI's Jim Sharpe Show to update listeners on the latest in the Glendale-Coyotes situation, including a suspicious parking rights document uncovered by the Goldwater Institute.