NEW YORK — A nonprofit conservative organization advocating for less government must reveal information about major donors to the state’s attorney general if it wants to solicit money in the state, a judge ruled Monday as he rejected First Amendment claims.
U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein said that states have a strong interest to ensure that charities do not serve as fronts for fraud and crime and the lawsuit by the conservative organization, Citizens United, failed to show that the requirement “lacks a substantial relation to these important governmental interests.”
He called the policy imposed by Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman “a generic disclosure policy, one the First Amendment has long considered acceptable.” The policy requires every charitable organization to reveal its major donors before soliciting money in the state.
The judge rejected what he described as Citizens United’s overstated dangers as a result of the policy, including claims that donors could face public backlash, financial harm or worse.
“Plaintiffs provide no factual background or support for their conclusory assertions,” the judge said, pointing out that the U.S. Supreme Court six years ago noted that the group has been disclosing its donors for years and has never identified an instance of harassment or retaliation against a donor.
Citizens United general counsel Michael Boos said the organization was “quite disappointed” and was studying its appeal options.