Colo. Governor Wants State Supreme Court to Address Campaign Finance Law
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced plans to take a dispute over campaign finance laws directly to the state supreme court today.
Ritter’s chief legal counsel, Trey Rogers, told the Associated Press that the governor is asking the court to determine if state campaign finance laws are unconstitutional in light of the recent 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United.
The high court’s January ruling strikes down restrictions that had barred corporations from spending money from their general treasuries on campaign ads in the days before an election.
The decision is at odds with Colorado’s Amendment 27, which was approved by voters in 2002 and bans such spending.
Colo. House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, told the AP that lawmakers are drafting a resolution supporting Ritter’s decision to go to the high court.
Lawmakers hope a quick ruling before the state legislature adjourns on May 12.
If the court finds the law unconstitutional, companies and labor organizations could immediately begin raising money for the November elections without voter involvement.
