New Ad on Obama and Infanticide, Partial-Birth Abortion Airing in Wisconsin
A group called Committee for Truth in Politics (CTP) is challenging the limits of campaign finance reform. For background, current federal campaign finance law prohibits a group other than a political action committee from mentioning the name of a candidate for federal office either 30 days before a primary election or 60 days before a general in a broadcast ad. We are obviously in a blackout period right now.
The ad, titled “Basic Rights,” can be viewed on this blog and is now being aired in Wisconsin and other states. It questions Obama as to why he voted against protecting infants that survive late term abortions. It asks Obama why he is trying to roll back the law that prohibits partial-birth abortions.The CTP is not only airing the ad, but has filed suit in federal court in North Carolina seeking a preliminary injunction to protect itself from enforcement action by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). To justify its action, CTP is stating it is protected by the “appeal-to-vote” test established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2007 decision in Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life (“WRTL II”). CTP is also challenging the FEC’s standards for determining who is and who is not a political action committee.
Yes, it is our very own Wisconsin Right to Life case that has opened the door to what should be one of our most protected rights — free speech.
Atty. James Bopp, Jr., who also handled our WRTL case has stated about this new case:”The fact that CTP feels compelled to proceed without the protection of a preliminary injunction before speaking is an indication of the fact that many courts have failed to vigorously protect First Amendment rights with timely preliminary injunctions in advance of a group’s speech…..As to the FEC’s standards for determining political committees, the FEC is, in the words of the Fourth Circuit, ‘handing out speeding tickets without telling anyone what the speed limit is.'”
Watch our blog for developing news on this important case.
Barbara Lyons