A federal judge made a correct call Monday that ensures the public will retain its right to know with regard to election contributions.
The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank "denied a temporary injunction in a lawsuit brought by supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, including an anti-abortion group and an anti-tax organization." The suit's intent was to overturn a law that reveals the sources of political donations, such as the one made several weeks ago by Target Corp. to a business-focused entity supporting Emmer. But Frank, in his ruling, essentially said that the potential harm to the state -- and the "general public interest" -- was too great.
Much has been made across the country about a January U.S. Supreme Court ruling that blocked the ban on political spending by corporations in candidate elections. Proponents of that ruling hailed it as a win for the basic First Amendment right of freedom of speech -- and that government has no right to regulate political speech.
Minnesota's state law, in turn, was enacted in May as an answer of sorts to the federal court ruling. As Frank pointed out, the law doesn't keep corporations from political spending; it asks they follow specific disclosure requirements.
We like the idea of keeping the public's right to know in mind as millions of dollars get spent on a gubernatorial race that will affect all of us.
