On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld Alabama’s ban on contributions from one political action committee to another. The court found that the state’s 2010 law is not in violation of the First Amendment.
“The state advances two interests to justify its decision to regulate contributions through the PAC-to-PAC transfer ban: anti-corruption and transparency,” the judges of the 11th circuit wrote.
The lawsuit was initiated by the Alabama Democratic Conference, a predominantly African-American PAC, after a portion of the law prevented the group from transferring money to other PACs to use for get-out-the-vote initiatives.
“The appeals court ruling is a significant victory in Alabama’s ongoing fight against public corruption. The PAC-to-PAC transfer ban has been instrumental in limiting campaign corruption while adding greater transparency to the elections process,” Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange wrote in a statement.