The ACLU is Against Clean Elections?
Posted by Cynthia Okechukwu on July 19, 2006 at 7:56PM
According to this article from the New London Day, a coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, the Green Party, and the Libertarian Party is challenging Connecticut's new clean elections law in court.
Their biggest issues with the bill are that it puts minor-party candidates at a disadvantage, and that "outright bans on contributions from lobbyists, contractors and their family members are in violation of the First Amendment — which has been interpreted at the federal level to include political contributions as a form of protected speech — and the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law to all citizens."
This might be a story to watch as we head into the new school year.
The full article on the Common Cause website is here: ACLU Targets Clean Elections. The ACLU's complaint and press release are here: ACLU-CT Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging State Campaign Finance Law.