• Posted on Wednesday, February 3, 2010
  • Bookmark and Share
  • email
  • |
  • print
  • |
  • rss

tool name

close
tool goes here

In Alaska politics, "There are now no limits on independent expenditures ..."

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Follow us on your iPhone
Follow us on your Android device Sign up for email newsletters RSS

A preliminary opinion from the Legislature's lawyers says all bets are now off when it comes to corporate spending in Alaska elections, with no limits or any requirement for disclosure.

"Given the silence of our state statutes and the likelihood that our existing statutes will not be enforced following the (U.S. Supreme Court's) holding in Citizens United, there are now no limits on independent expenditures made by for-profit corporations and no statutory disclosure, identification, or reporting requirements for those disclosures," said the opinion from legislative counsel Alpheus Bullard.

Bullard wrote that it appears to apply to labor unions as well, although he found that was not made explicit in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

His opinion was a first pass on the subject, and the Legislature'http://community.adn.com/adn/node/147477s lawyers are liable to have more to say on the subject at a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this afternoon.

Read the complete story at adn.com

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. To post one, you must sign in using either your McClatchyDC login or your login for Facebook, Twitter or Disqus. Just click the appropriate box below.

Please keep your comment civil, short and to the point. Obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. If you find a comment abusive or inappropriate, please flag it for the moderator by placing your cursor on the comment, then clicking the "flag" link that appears. Thanks for your participation.

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT BLOG

Planet Washington

"Planet Washington" is a group blog by journalists in McClatchy's Washington Bureau. Send a story suggestion.