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  Judge says Gessler's campaign finance change unconstitutional
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Last EditedCOSDem  Nov 17, 2011 04:19pm
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CategoryScandal
MediaNewspaper - Denver Post
News DateThursday, November 17, 2011 10:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionA state judge ruled today that Secretary of State Scott Gessler exceeded his authority when he raised contribution limits for political issue committees that don't want to register their activities.

Denver District Court Judge Bruce Jones said Gessler's change raised limits that are written in the Colorado Constitution, which he had no authority to do. The new rule would have bumped to $5,000 — up from $200 — the amount of money a political issue committee could raise before it must file a campaign-finance report. Gessler said the change was necessary to comply with a federal appeals court ruling, but the rule also would have made it easier for small political groups to keep the funders of their advocacy secret.

"The constitutional definition of issue committee is based, in part, on a dollar amount," Jones wrote in his order. " Changing the dollar amount necessarily changes the constitutional definition."

The ruling was cheered by representatives from Colorado Common Cause and Colorado Ethics Watch, which sued Gessler over the rule change.

"Voters have said time and again that they want transparency in political campaigns," Colorado Common Cause's executive director, Elena Nunez, said in a statement. "This ruling affirms Colorado's strong disclosure laws by rejecting the Secretary of State's rules."
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