WASHINGTON, D.C.–Today an appeals court issued a unanimous ruling overturning a lower court in the Van Hollen v. Federal Election Commission case, in which the Hispanic Leadership Fund filed a motion to intervene. HLF released the following statement from its president Mario H. Lopez regarding the decision:
“The Hispanic Leadership Fund is pleased with this decision and is proud to be on the forefront of defending the First Amendment rights of not just our organization, but that of all Americans. We will of course stay vigilant about the outstanding issues that remain, but today is a clear victory for liberty against those who seek to stifle free speech and intimidate those who seek to petition the government.”
Congressman Van Hollen’s (D-MD) lawsuit against the FEC sought to force the agency to impose stringent regulations on groups that advocate on policy issues in advertisements that merely mention a federal candidate for office, even if that candidate is a current office holder and the ad only deals with exercising an organization’s First Amendment rights to petition the government. The lawsuit came after legislation proposed by Van Hollen twice failed to pass in the U.S. Congress.
