NOM Loses Appeal of Disclosure Ruling in Rhode Island

The National Organization for Marriage lost its attempt Thursday to appeal a federal judge's ruling that the group needs to comply with campaign disclosure laws in Rhode Island, the latest in a series of mounting losses for the group, which opposes marriage equality.

The Providence Journal reports on the decision from the federal appeals court panel. NOM had claimed that Chief U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi erred in October when she refused to grant a preliminary injunction that would have allowed the group to sidestep state election laws requiring it disclose money given to candidates. Judge Lisi said that the disclosure requirement imposed little burden on NOM and demonstrated a legitimate interest in revealing the names of individuals who gave more than $100 to candidates.

"The National Organization for Marriage filed suit in September, arguing Rhode Island's restrictions on political advertising and campaign finance disclosure requirements of 'independent expenditures' were unconstitutional and overly broad," reports the Journal. "The case was brought in part by Indiana lawyer James Bopp Jr., a lawyer with the James Madison Center for Free Speech and driving force behind the landmark Supreme Court decision that lifted the long-standing ban on corporate and union spending in elections."

The loss of the appeal follows similar lost challenges for NOM in courts in New York and Maine. Also Thursday, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston upheld Maine's reporting requirements for political actions committees, rejecting another challenge brought by NOM.