By Jim Small | AZ Mirror
The Arizona Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear key portions of a challenge to the state’s landmark campaign finance disclosure law aimed at ending anonymous political spending, potentially impacting rules meant to shine light on who spends money to influence voters.
The high court will consider whether Republican legislative leaders have the right to challenge “dark money” disclosure rules created by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission under Proposition 211, the “Voters’ Right to Know Act,” which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2022. The court will also determine if a provision limiting legislative oversight can be separated from the rest of the law.
House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen filed a lawsuit in 2023 to block implementation of Prop. 211, which requires disclosure of the original sources of contributions exceeding $5,000 used for campaign spending. The law defines this “dark money” as “the practice of laundering political contributions, often through multiple intermediaries, to hide the original source.”
