U.S. Chamber of Commerce Sues Hawaii Over Corporate Political Spending Law, Citing First Amendment Violations
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit against the state of Hawaii, seeking to invalidate its new law, Act 11, which the Chamber claims unconstitutionally bans political speech by corporations and other groups. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, argues that Act 11 violates the First Amendment by prohibiting all state and foreign corporations from engaging in 'election activity' and 'ballot activity.' The law, set to take effect next July, would restrict activities such as paying, contributing, or spending money to support or oppose political candidates, committees, parties, or ballot questions. The Chamber asserts that the law directly conflicts with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which established that the First Amendment protects corporate speech. This lawsuit follows a similar challenge filed in June by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a libertarian think tank, which also argued the law infringes on ...
