JACKSON, Miss. – The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Mississippi’s law requiring people to file a financial report with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office if they make a campaign contributions over $200. This overturns a previous ruling made by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen Mississippi. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that disclosure of contributions interfered with their right to freedom of speech and association guaranteed under the First Amendment.
Judges with the Fifth Circuit said the disclosure law was not a burden on the plaintiff’s constitutional rights to warrant change. They also added that voters “have in interest in knowing who is lobbying for their vote,” and that other States have a threshold lower than $200 for reporting contributions.
