TLDR:
Maricopa County Superior Court judge dismisses lawsuit challenging campaign finance disclosure law approved by voters in 2022. The law requires organizations to disclose donors who contribute a certain amount. Plaintiffs failed to provide evidence of potential harm to donors, leading to the case being dismissed.
In a recent ruling by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge, a lawsuit challenging a campaign finance disclosure law was dismissed. The Voters Right to Know Act, which passed by a significant majority in 2022, mandates that organizations must disclose the names of donors who contribute above a certain threshold for state and local races. The organizations that filed the lawsuit, Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argued that the law would put their donors at risk of harassment and violence. However, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs did not provide substantial evidence to support this claim.
The judge’s ruling emphasized that the public interest in transparency outweighs the concerns raised by the organizations. Former Attorney General Terry Goddard, who supported the law, commended the decision as a win for transparency and public interest. The organizations are planning to appeal the ruling, but it remains to be seen whether their case will be successful in the higher courts.
