9th U.S. Circuit Court Upholds Montana’s Contribution Limits
For the second time, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the State of Montana’s limits on political spending.
Attorney General Tim Fox made the announcement on Wednesday, and spokesman Eric Sell said the limits were upheld for the second time in seven months.
“For the second time in just a few months, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Montana’s campaign contribution limits,” Sell said. “These are the limits that were set back in 1994 through a voter initiative. There was a challenge to these limits as an unconstitutional violation of political speech. The 9th circuit ruled back in October that these contribution limits are well within the state’s authority ands are not unconstitutional.”
Sell said the opponents of the limits made a second attempt before the court and were once again defeated.
“The opponents decided to file a request for a rehearing before the 9th circuit, and today, the court issued their order rejecting that request,” he said. “Attorney General Fox’s office is thrilled with this decision. These limits were approved by the voters, and it’s the Attorney General’s job to defend the laws of the State of Montana, so this is a big win for democracy in Montana.”
That means donors this year can give no more than $180 per election to candidates in legislative, Public Service Commission or other state races. Donors to U.S. House and Senate candidates are capped at $2,700 per election under federal limits.