A federal court in Washington has ruled that donors to so-called “dark money” groups may no longer be allowed to remain anonymous in what is being heralded as a win for more transparent campaign finance laws in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
Chief Judge Beryl Howell, who sits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, found late Friday that a Federal Election Commission regulation used to mask the identity of some contributors to nonprofit organizations that engage in political activity was invalid.
“The challenged regulation facilitates such financial ‘routing,’ blatantly undercuts the congressional goal of fully disclosing the sources of money flowing into federal political campaigns, and thereby suppresses the benefits intended to accrue from disclosure … ,” Howell, an Obama appointee, wrote.
Howell’s decision may have implications for people who donate more than $200 to the groups, with the nonprofits potentially being compelled to reveal their identities if they spend more than $250 on efforts to impact federal elections.
Howell’s ruling was part of a lawsuit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington against Karl Rove’s Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies after it failed to disclose donors who contributed to a total of $6 million it spent trying to unseat incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in 2012. CREW had originally lodged a complaint with the FEC.
“This ruling looks like a major game changer,” CREW executive director Noah Bookbinder said in a written statement. “Based on this ruling , the public should know a whole lot more about who is giving money for the purpose of influencing an election, and it will be much harder for donors to anonymously contribute to groups that advertise in elections.”
The FEC has 30 days to reconsider the original complaint and 45 days to issue interim regulations that comport with Howell’s finding, according to Politico. Otherwise, the news outlet reports, FEC and Crossroads GPS can appeal her decision.
