Federal judge rules donor disclosure required for political documentary
/The US District Court for the District of Colorado [official website] denied [order, PDF] on Monday a request by Citizens United [advocacy website] for a preliminary injunction to allow the conservative organization to air a political documentary without disclosing the film's advertising donors as required by state law [text]. The documentary, Rocky Mountain Heist, which the group hopes to air before November's elections, "concerns various Colorado advocacy groups and their impact on Colorado government and public policy." Citizens United argued, on First Amendment [text, LII] grounds, that its organization should be considered a "press entity," entitled to the same exemptions as traditional media outlets, which are not required to disclose their donors. Otherwise, the group argued, it would be the victim of "viewpoint-based discrimination." The court disagreed stating that people should be able to "discern the private interests behind speech when determining how much weight to afford it." Citizens United intends [press release] to appeal this ruling to the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit .[MORE]
