The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to Vermont’s campaign finance laws brought by the Vermont Right to Life Committee, thereby upholding a previous ruling by a lower court in the case.
The Vermont Right to Life Committee, a nonprofit with a political action committee that supports anti-abortion candidates, filed suit to overturn the state’s limit on its contributions to its independent expenditure political action committee, often referred to as a Super-PAC because they are not subject to spending limits in political contests.
Their suit also sought to overturn state requirements that PACs report mass media spending and identify sponsors of political speech. That portion of the suit will not be taken up on appeal either.
A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decision in Vermont’s favor, held that the Vermont Right to Life Committee Fund for Independent Expenditures was not actually independent from the Vermont Right to Life Committee.
The appeals court found that a political action committee must have more than a separate bank account for independent expenditures to be exempt from the spending limits. The two committees shared board members and staff, transferred money to one another, and jointly planned activities, and therefore both were required to abide by Vermont’s contribution limits, according to the decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court action rejecting the group’s appeal brings the Vermont Right to Life Committee’s case to a close, ending years of legal wrangling. The original suit was filed in 2009.
“This has been a long and hard-fought case, but the principles are important if we are going to help voters make informed decisions about candidates and their supporters,” Attorney General William Sorrell said in a statement.
“We are pleased with this outcome,” he said.
