Supreme Court Will Hear 'Hillary: The Movie' Appeal
Tue Nov 18, 2008 @ 12:46PM PSTBy Eriq Gardner
The Supreme Court will soon determine the line at which political documentary films must comply with campaign finance laws.
The High Court has accepted review of a case (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission) involving a documentary called "Hillary: The Movie," that argues Senator Hillary Clinton is unfit to be U.S. president. Citizens United, which produced the film, wanted to run advertisements on television promoting the film's release last January, just as the primary season was heating up. The group also made a documentary about Obama and says they plan to make more politically-charged films.
Earlier in the year, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the F.E.C. that the film and its promotion wasn't exempt from campaign finance laws, including those involving the disclosure of financiers. The appeal argues against the disclosure requirements as well as many features of the “electioneering communications” provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, including restrictions on how corporations and labor groups can finance election advertisements.
Filed Under Free Speech
Government
|
Comments (View)
|
