Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Family found dead in Ohio home
Robbers order bar patrons to empty pockets
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Sex-toy study at Duke University raises some eyebrows
Akron man turns himself in after authorities turn up heat
Get ready for detour, delays on Route 8
Man appears alive at own funeral
Akron police follow blood trail to murder suspect
Boy tells 911 operator he shot father in anger
DYER: Take comfort in knowing Browns could be bigger losers
Driver's licenses looking fishy
Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Saturday entertainment, one more time …
Akron Zips:
No. 1 UA soccer remains perfect, Zips football defeats rival Flashes
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
Bigger And Better Boondoggles
Blog of Mass Destruction:
The Shooter
Akron Law Café:
NEW U.S. Supreme Court Database
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
By Matt Reed
Associated Press writer
POSTED: 08:44 a.m. EDT, May 21, 2008
COLUMBUS: The state ban on issue ads that mention political candidates by name within 30 days of an election should be overturned because it violates the First Amendment, an anti-abortion group said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The U.S. District Court should either permanently or temporarily stop enforcement of the ban on broadcast ads so that the Ohio Right to Life Society can fully participate in this fall's election, the group said in the lawsuit against the Ohio Elections Commission and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
''Ohio Right to Life is presently not permitted to advocate for an issue when voters are most engaged,'' said Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right to Life's executive director. ''Such a speech blackout period is entirely contrary to the First Amendment and harms grass-roots organizations of all ideologies.''
The ban was included in a campaign finance bill passed by lawmakers in a special session in December 2004.
Ohio Right to Life pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June in a similar case. The 5-4 decision upheld an appeals court ruling that said a Wisconsin anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads during the two months before the 2004 elections.
The court said the federal law challenged in the case unreasonably limits speech and violates the group's First Amendment rights.
The federal law, a provision in the 2002 campaign finance act, banned corporations and unions from paying for political ''issue ads'' that mention a candidate for federal office within 60 days of a federal election and 30 days of a primary or caucus.
Ohio's provision bans unions, nonprofit organizations and corporations from airing broadcast ads that include the names of candidates within 30 days of an election, said William Todd, a lawyer and Republican insider who filed the lawsuit for Ohio Right to Life.
''We got into this circumstance because the Ohio General Assembly crafted this law that was nonsensical,'' said Catherine Turcer, an elections specialist at Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit good-government group. ''When we craft campaign finance regulations, we need to be very careful of preserving First Amendment rights. And it is a surprisingly tremendous challenge.''
The Ohio Elections Commission will be prepared to fully defend the law, said Philip Richter, the commission's executive director.
Brunner's office is reviewing the lawsuit, and the attorney general's office is preparing a response, Brunner spokesman Jeff Ortega said.
Ohio Right to Life said it hopes to air television and radio ads this year on the state Senate's proposed ban on human cloning. Ads would mention Republican Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland, Republican state Sen. Steve Buehrer of Delta, the bill's sponsor, and other senators, the group said in the lawsuit.
Other ads from the group would mention state Sen. Steve Stivers of Columbus and state Sen. Kirk Schuring of Canton, Right to Life said. Both Republicans are running in competitive races for U.S. House seats.
COLUMBUS: The state ban on issue ads that mention political candidates by name within 30 days of an election should be overturned because it violates the First Amendment, an anti-abortion group said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The U.S. District Court should either permanently or temporarily stop enforcement of the ban on broadcast ads so that the Ohio Right to Life Society can fully participate in this fall's election, the group said in the lawsuit against the Ohio Elections Commission and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
''Ohio Right to Life is presently not permitted to advocate for an issue when voters are most engaged,'' said Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right to Life's executive director. ''Such a speech blackout period is entirely contrary to the First Amendment and harms grass-roots organizations of all ideologies.''
The ban was included in a campaign finance bill passed by lawmakers in a special session in December 2004.
Ohio Right to Life pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June in a similar case. The 5-4 decision upheld an appeals court ruling that said a Wisconsin anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads during the two months before the 2004 elections.
The court said the federal law challenged in the case unreasonably limits speech and violates the group's First Amendment rights.
The federal law, a provision in the 2002 campaign finance act, banned corporations and unions from paying for political ''issue ads'' that mention a candidate for federal office within 60 days of a federal election and 30 days of a primary or caucus.
Ohio's provision bans unions, nonprofit organizations and corporations from airing broadcast ads that include the names of candidates within 30 days of an election, said William Todd, a lawyer and Republican insider who filed the lawsuit for Ohio Right to Life.
''We got into this circumstance because the Ohio General Assembly crafted this law that was nonsensical,'' said Catherine Turcer, an elections specialist at Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit good-government group. ''When we craft campaign finance regulations, we need to be very careful of preserving First Amendment rights. And it is a surprisingly tremendous challenge.''
The Ohio Elections Commission will be prepared to fully defend the law, said Philip Richter, the commission's executive director.
Brunner's office is reviewing the lawsuit, and the attorney general's office is preparing a response, Brunner spokesman Jeff Ortega said.
Ohio Right to Life said it hopes to air television and radio ads this year on the state Senate's proposed ban on human cloning. Ads would mention Republican Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland, Republican state Sen. Steve Buehrer of Delta, the bill's sponsor, and other senators, the group said in the lawsuit.
Other ads from the group would mention state Sen. Steve Stivers of Columbus and state Sen. Kirk Schuring of Canton, Right to Life said. Both Republicans are running in competitive races for U.S. House seats.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
